Palestinian PM cites support for statehood plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Karin Laub - September 22, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview Tuesday that he has won broad international support for his plan to ready the Palestinians for statehood within two years. However, Fayyad sidestepped the question of whether the Palestinians would unilaterally declare statehood at the end of that period if a peace deal with Israel is not in place. He said that decision would have to made by the Palestine Liberation Organization and others when the time comes.

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West Bank economy heading toward growth for first time in years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
September 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The economy in Palestinian West Bank remains on course to grow about 7 percent this year, for the first growth since 2005, according to the International Monetary Fund. In notes to media accompanying a report the IMF will present to donors at the United Nations on Sept. 22, the international lending agency said on Sunday achieving the projected figure largely depended on Israel's policy towards the Palestinians.

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Hamas Objects to Possible Lessons on Holocaust in U.N.-Run Schools in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

The prospect of United Nations-run schools in the Gaza Strip teaching children about the Holocaust has sparked fierce resistance this week from leaders of the Palestinian Hamas movement and forced international officials to confront a situation fraught with political risk. U.N. officials, who say they are only discussing changes to a school program on human rights, have not commented directly on whether any new curriculum will reference the Holocaust. But Hamas leaders, saying any such reference would "contradict" their culture, are moving quickly to head off the possibility.

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A promise to keep with Gaza’s people
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
September 2, 2009 - 12:00am

Six months after the world’s top diplomats met at Sharm el Sheikh to pledge massive amounts of assistance to war-torn Gaza, there is little on the ground to show that their commitment has had any effect. The magnitude of the devastation that descended upon the Gazan people earlier this year is difficult to overstate. The UN estimates that as many as 14,000 homes and 240 schools have been destroyed and too little has been done to alleviate the suffering of the nearly 1.5 million Palestinians who overcrowd the tiny strip of territory.

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Saudi Arabia to deliver 200 million USD to PA
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Saudi Arabia will deliver 200 million US dollars to the Palestinian Authority (PA), caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced on Monday. In a press conference at his Ramallah office, Fayyad said that “this generous delivery from Saudi Arabia will enable the PA to fulfill its commitments to the Palestinians who are living under siege, mainly in Gaza.” The funds are to be transferred to the PA treasury over the coming days, he said.

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World Bank to give Palestinians $33.5m. in aid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - July 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The World Bank on Tuesday announced plans to spend an additional $33.5 million on Palestinian infrastructure initiatives, including $21.5 million for six Gaza projects. The new aid was announced in the morning at a signing ceremony in Ramallah attended by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad and Dina Abu Ghaida, the World Bank acting country director for the West Bank and Gaza (WBG).

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The PA Financial Crisis: Causes and Implications
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
by Mohammed Yaghi - June 29, 2009 - 12:00am

Eighteen months have passed since the Paris donor conference, where members of the international community promised the Palestinian government $1.45 billion in assistance for its 2009 budget. The Palestinian Authority (PA), however, has received less than a quarter of this amount, and Arab governments in particular have fallen short, contributing only $78 million of the $600 million pledged.

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Palestinian PM seeks aid money
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Jazeera English
June 9, 2009 - 12:00am

Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, has said his government is close to hitting a "brick wall" because it is not receiving enough aid to balance the budget. The Palestinian Authority, or PA, has been forced to take loans because of the shortage of aid money, but that is not a sustainable solution, he told a donors' conference in Oslo, Norway, on Monday. Blaming delinquent Arab donors, the International Monetary Fund said last week that the PA faces a serious cash crisis after receiving only half of the aid money it needs to function every month.

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ACP Begins Delivery of $200,000 Worth of Laptop Computers to Palestinian Schools
Press Release - Contact Information: Mohammed Maraqa - May 28, 2009 - 12:00am

Washington, DC, May 28 – The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) is proud to announce that its sister organization, American Charities for Palestine (ACP), has initiated the delivery of laptop computers to schools in Palestine. This project has been coordinated with One Laptop Per Child, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Palestinian Ministry of Education.


Federal Government May Revise Voluntary Guidelines for Giving Overseas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
by Ian Wilhelm - May 6, 2009 - 12:00am

The U.S. Treasury Department wants to work with grant makers to revise its voluntary guidelines that seek to prevent charitable dollars from inadvertently flowing to terrorists, a department official said at the Council on Foundations meeting. Michael Rosen, a policy adviser in the department’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, said the office wants to work with foundations “to better refine the guidance.”

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