March 2nd

NEWS: Upcoming meetings between Pres. Obama and PM Netanyahu will focus on Iran. Pres. Peres says the US should put all options on the table regarding Iran and promises the Catholic Church to protect Christian sites in Jerusalem. Hamas again confirms its political headquarters is no longer in Damascus. Another hunger striking Palestinian prisoner held without charge by Israel says she will not stop until her demands are met. Hundreds participate in a marathon race in Gaza. Israel is preparing to test a next-generation missile system. FM Lieberman says Israel's military and settlers must stay in the Jordan Valley. Most Americans see Iran as a threat, but most Israelis oppose a military attack. Experts are seeking ways to both calm Israel and contain Iran. UNRWA faces much skepticism and misunderstanding in the United States. COMMENTARY: Aaron David Miller says Iran, Israel and Turkey are the driving powers in the Middle East now. Ha'aretz says Israel should consider amending its national anthem to include non-Jewish sentiments, and Noah Klieger says it's unreasonable to expect any Arab, even the most loyal citizen of Israel, to sing a song about Jewish national aspirations. Yoel Marcus says Israel is becoming a footnote in American politics. Aluf Benn says Netanyahu's Washington trip will be the most momentous of his career. Alex Fishman says Israel should be very concerned about growing Palestinian despair. Jill Jacobs says the Jewish National Fund is involved in human rights abuses in the occupied territories, but its CEO, Russell Robinson, denies this. George Hishmeh says Israel's policies are a dangerous course of action. Ahmad Nagi says Palestinians face a bleak future. Shawqi Issa says the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is important and complex. Yossi Alpher says it behooves Israel to treat all suspected terrorists equally.

March 1st

NEWS: ATFP urges calm after Israeli occupation forces raid AQU, but questions what message Israel is sending. The stated Israeli reasons for the raids are hotly disputed Palestinians. The PA says seizing broadcast frequencies violates the Oslo agreements. Israel quietly recognizes a major “unauthorized” settlement outpost. A PA office in Gaza is ransacked by unknown assailants. PM Netanyahu's Washington trip will mainly focus on questions regarding Iran. Israeli officials say Syria's rebels want peace with Israel. The Pentagon says it has plans for a possible conflict with Iran. A Jewish Israeli Supreme Court justice says there is no need for Palestinian judges in Israel to sing the national anthem. The PA insists it is opposed to any new intifada. Jordan is slowly easing restrictions on work for Palestinians from Gaza. Democrats are pushing back against Republican efforts to monopolize Israel issues in the American campaign season. COMMENTARY: Amos Yadlin says Israel may feel forced to strike Iran on its own. Ari Shavit says if Netanyahu and Pres. Obama don't start working together on Iran, they may bring disaster on both their countries. Yonah Alexander and Milton Hoenig say there is still room for diplomacy with Iran on the nuclear issue. Gideon Levy says the silence of a judge who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel during the national anthem was a quiet protest. Avi Issacharoff says both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are setting the stage for another intifada. JJ Goldberg says Republican attacks on the church-state divide will not appeal to most Jewish Americans. The National says the ongoing controversy about Mohammed Al Dura shows the Israeli propaganda machine at work. Tariq Alhomayed says if Israel was doing what the Assad regime has been in Syria, the Arab outcry would be much more intense. Stuart Reigeluth and Julian Memetaj say Palestinians in Israel face systematic discrimination.

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