January 24th

Abbas: Concessions in Palestine papers came from Israel, not us
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday denied offering secret concessions to Israel and said that reporting of purportedly leaked documents had presented Israeli positions as those of his own negotiators. "What is intended is a mix-up. I saw them present things yesterday as Palestinian, but they were Israeli ... This is therefore intentional," Abbas told reporters in Cairo after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "We say things very clearly, we do not have secrets." Abbas stressed.


PA official: Israelis don't want a two-state solution
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


Erekat says Al-Jazeera release part of campaign targeting PA, Abbas refused to make concessions on J'lem; Abbas: We have nothing to hide. Palestinian Legislative Council official Mustafa Barghouti on Monday said that Israelis don't want a two-state solution, according to The Guardian's news blog on 'The Palestine Papers.' "Regardless of how flexible the negotiators are and how many concessions are offered, it makes no difference because Israel does not want a two state solution. All this flexibility is in vain," he was quoted as saying.


West Bank village in Area C blocked from modern life
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Omer al-Othmani - January 23, 2011 - 1:00am


For the residents of a remote Palestinian village, located near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, it seems that the hands of the clock has stopped moving. Around 1,200 people live in the village with no water or electricity supply. The first ten years of the 21st century have passed, while the villagers of Froosh Beit Dajan in southeast of Nablus still lives in the "middle ages" -- isolated, gloomy, with no sign of modern life, because it was classified as part of the Area C by Israel.


Crowley: US cannot vouch for 'Palestine Papers' veracity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


State Dept. spokesman says US is reviewing leaks, adds Washington committed to two-state solution, will continue working with on core issues. Responding to Al Jazeera's release of over 1,000 PA documents relating to negotiations with Israel, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that the US cannot verify the documents, via his Twitter account.


Israel FM confirms interim Palestinian state plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


Israel's foreign minister confirmed Monday that he has drawn up a plan for the creation of an interim Palestinian state with temporary borders in the absence of a full peace agreement. Avigdor Lieberman argued that an interim arrangement was the only option, saying the Palestinians have turned down previous Israeli offers and no agreement is possible at present. "There is no other way. We must go back to an interim agreement," he told Israel Radio, adding, "The plan is ready." He offered no details and did not say when and if the plan would be made public.


The story behind the Palestine papers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ian Black, Seumas Milne - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


How 1,600 confidential Palestinian records of negotiations with Israel from 1999 to 2010 came to be leaked to al-Jazeera The revelations from the heart of the Israel-Palestine peace process are the product of the biggest documentary leak in the history of the Middle East conflict, and the most comprehensive exposure of the inside story of a decade of failed negotiations.


Abbas says Jazeera leaks on Israel talks confused
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


Leaked documents detailing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians deliberately confuse the positions of either side, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday. The documents, obtained by Al Jazeera television channel, indicate that Palestinian negotiators offered Israel much bigger concessions than previously revealed. "What is intended is a mix-up. I have seen them yesterday present things as Palestinian but they were Israeli... This is therefore intentional," Abbas said in Cairo. He said the peace talks were carried out in an open manner.


Abed Rabbo blasts Emir of Qatar
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


PLO executive committee member Yasser Abed Rabbo on Monday blasted the Emir of Qatar over documents leaked by the Doha-based Al-Jazeera TV network covering a decade of Israel-Palestinian negotiations. According to documents released Sunday, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erakat offered Israel huge concessions, including "the biggest Yerushalayim [Jerusalem] in history" during 2008 negotiations.


Palestine papers: Now we know. Israel had a peace partner
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Jonathan Freedland - January 24, 2011 - 1:00am


The classified documents show Palestinians willing to go to extreme lengths and Israel holding a firm line on any peace deal Who will be most damaged by this extraordinary glimpse into the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process? Perhaps the first casualty will be Palestinian national pride, their collective sense of dignity in adversity badly wounded by the papers revealed today.


Palestinian Nonviolent Movement Continues Despite Crackdown
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Mohammed Khatib - January 21, 2011 - 1:00am


The January 1st death of Palestinian protester Jawaher Abu Rahmah from Israeli tear gas, and efforts to imprison people like us illustrate the Israeli government's intensifying crackdown on the unarmed Palestinian protest movement. Though threatened, this movement of Palestinian men, women and children, along with Israeli and international supporters, has grown too much to be easily stopped.



American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017