March 4th

ATFP president Ziad Asali says Arab uprisings are about accountability and corruption. Philip Wilcox says UNRWA is a good investment for American taxpayers. Palestinians reject Israeli proposals for an interim agreement. Israel bombs Gaza. Hamas proposes its own reconciliation plan. Palestinian citizens of Israel are criticized for having visited Libya. Israel seems to have concluded that no deal with the Palestinians is possible under present circumstances, and DM Barak says it's because of the makeup of the Israeli cabinet. Some Fatah leaders demand the ouster of PM Fayyad. Palestinians want international pressure to halt settler violence. PM Netanyahu says a binational state would be a disaster. Jonathan Schachter says Palestinians are looking for diplomatic options beyond Washington. Aluf Benn says Netanyahu may be moving to the center. An 11 year old Palestinian boy says he was beaten by Israeli police. Militant settlers plan for confrontations. Israel may seek to retain 40% of the West Bank. Elias Samo says the Arab Peace Initiative is the right basis for ending the conflict, but Yossi Alpher says it needs to be clarified.

ATFP president Ziad Asali says Arab uprisings are about accountability and corruption. Philip Wilcox says UNRWA is a good investment for American taxpayers. Hamas steals $500,000 from a bank in Gaza, and banks close in protest. Palestinians reject Israeli proposals for an interim agreement. Israel bombs Gaza. Hamas proposes its own reconciliation plan. Palestinian citizens of Israel are criticized for having visited Libya. Israel seems to have concluded that no deal with the Palestinians is possible under present circumstances, and DM Barak says it's because of the makeup of the Israeli cabinet. Some Fatah leaders demand the ouster of PM Fayyad. Palestinians want international pressure to halt settler violence. PM Netanyahu says a binational state would be a disaster. Jonathan Schachter says Palestinians are looking for diplomatic options beyond Washington. Aluf Benn says Netanyahu may be moving to the center. An 11 year old Palestinian boy says he was beaten by Israeli police. Militant settlers plan for confrontations. Israel may seek to retain 40% of the West Bank. Elias Samo says the Arab Peace Initiative is the right basis for ending the conflict, but Yossi Alpher says it needs to be clarified.

March 3rd

Roger Cohen urges Pres. Obama to go to Jerusalem. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon continue to suffer. Israelis push for an interim peace plan, but Palestinians reject the idea. Israel leaves only one commercial crossing to Gaza open. Right-wing Israelis and settlers are infuriated, and officials say they are threatening security forces. Gaza banks strike after a major robbery and many accuse Hamas. Hamas says PM Fayyad’s unity plan is "stillborn." Mideast unrest may spur Israeli-Syrian negotiations. Tensions along the Gaza-Israel border are likely to be contained. Norway says it may recognize Palestine if the peace process remains stalled, but Sweden says it won’t. The PA says 150 states will recognize Palestine by September. Obama says Israelis must show seriousness on peace. D. Bloomfield asks if the US is moving away from the peace process. Larry Derfner says Israel has fewer defenders than ever. Palestinians sell products at an Israeli agricultural fair. J Street is now pressuring rather than defending the Obama administration. Jewish Americans in California argue fiercely about Israeli policies. Daoud Kuttab says Palestinians can learn from that Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. Hagit Ofran and Lara Friedman say at least 70 unauthorized outposts are built on privately-owned Palestinian land. Alon Ben-Meir says Israel's democracy is unraveling.

March 2nd

Palestinians try to create a “Facebook revolution.” Dashiell Shapiro says Egypt should resume responsibility for Gaza. Hamas urges Gaza students not to study the Holocaust. Israel tests another advanced weapon. Israel permits tomato exports from Gaza. Israel may seek an interim agreement with the Palestinians. Israel plans more settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel says settler evacuations are not a new policy. Pres. Abbas urges the Quartet to launch a “meaningful” peace process. Hamas again demands reform of the PLO. Ha’aretz says to keep Israel Jewish, settlements must be frozen. Aluf Benn says PM Netanyahu lacks international credibility. A veteran Israeli diplomat says both the PM and the FM are harming Israel’s international standing. Israeli rightists march in Jaffa. Eitan Haber says Israel needs peace with Syria. Jehan Sadat says the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty is not in danger. Settlers accuse Netanyahu of imposing a de facto settlement freeze. J Street leaders say being pro-Palestinian is being pro-Israel. Hussein Ibish is interviewed on Palestinian state building.

March 1st

The National praises PM Fayyad's state-building program. PM Netanyahu warns that settlement building cannot continue unrestrained. H.D.S. Greenway says peace is in sight. Questions are raised by the PLO dissolving of its negotiations unit. A Jerusalem conference is closed by Israel. The PA says an Israeli investigation into an attack in 2002 makes excuses for murder. Israel may recognize many outposts. Israel is concerned about the emerging new Arab order. Pres. Abbas points to an international consensus against settlement building. Hamas accuses Israel of escalating tensions. Settlers attack Palestinian villages. Bradley Burston asks what if Israeli forces treated settlers as they do Palestinians. Alon Idan says Netanyahu does not recognize his weakened position. A new poll shows favorable American attitudes towards Israel. Dennis Ross tells the J Street conference that time is running out for peace. DM Barak says Israeli citizens cannot take the law into their own hands. Gershon Baskin says Israelis can learn from J Street. The Swedish FM spends a night in Nablus. Hamas demands UN schools in Gaza stop teaching about the Holocaust. Fayyad says he's offered Hamas a pragmatic agreement, and seeks public input through social media.

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