Economic Development | The American Task Force on Palestine

Fayyad: Occupation must end
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Israel must end its occupation of the West Bank, caretaker Prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Tuesday. Fayyad added that Israel must stop building settlements on Palestinian land, especially in Jerusalem, and must stop invading Palestinian-held territory and closing Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem. He was speaking in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour, at the opening ceremony of a “heritage handcrafts village” at the YMCA.

The West Bank's gold
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - October 20, 2009 - 12:00am

For centuries, olive harvesting here has been a mostly local industry. Farmers, their relatives and neighbors beat the trees with sticks or strip the olives from branches by hand, then cart them to a local press and sell or trade the oil in nearby markets. Harvest workers keep a share of the crop for their labor, and olive press owners keep a share of the oil -- a testament to the small-scale, bartered nature of the undertaking.

Palestinians launch $220 million housing project
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - October 12, 2009 - 12:00am

The Palestine Investment Fund (PIF) on Monday announced the establishment of the Palestinian territories' most ambitious real estate project to date, with initial capital of $220 million. The goal is to create 30,000 new housing units in the next five to 10 years, PIF Chairman Mohammad Mustafa said. "We want to see projects on the hilltops other than (Jewish) settlements," Mustafa told reporters. "The aim is to participate in building Palestine in the coming period, to create jobs and economic opportunities."

Postponing Discussion on the Goldstone Report: Many Attackers and Even More Beneficiaries!
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Raghida Dergham - October 9, 2009 - 12:00am

A useful comparison can be made between, on the one had, internal US discourse as well as US-international discourse over the issue of the problem of Afghanistan and the extent to which Islamic extremism affects the interests of nations, and, on the other, the way the international community as well as the Arabs – amongst themselves – is addressing the report of the head of the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza War, Judge Richard Goldstone. This report condemned both Israel and Hamas for committing “war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity”.

Palestinian Mayor Brews Economic Growth
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Howard Schneider - October 5, 2009 - 12:00am

There's more than a bit of Sam Adams in David Khoury, the mayor of this tiny Christian village in the occupied West Bank. Along with being a politician and patriot, he is a brewer, and he sees the craft as a symbol of the Palestinian state he hopes will emerge here one day.

Israel ramps up efforts to block Hamas fund-raising network
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Anshel Pfeffer - September 29, 2009 - 12:00am

The defense establishment recently relaunched its campaign with its Western partners to block Hamas' fund-raising network, Haaretz has learned. The government, meanwhile, is considering launching an awareness campaign to highlight the link between fund-raising for Palestinian causes and terror funding. Israeli efforts have had some success in recent years, when Western governments forced certain charity organizations to reveal their records and sever ties with the Charity Coalition, the umbrella organization for groups that raise funds for Hamas abroad.

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.

Text messaging helps young Palestinians find work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - September 21, 2009 - 12:00am

A non-profit group in the occupied West Bank has started a scheme that uses mobile phone text messaging to help young Palestinians find work. The group, based in Ramallah, has already registered 8,000 Palestinians on its Souktel system, most of them recent graduates. The system connects them to about 150 leading employers who are looking for staff. Internet access in the West Bank remains low, reaching about one-third of the population. Most computer use is at internet cafes, which are largely male-dominated domains in what is still a conservative society.

Palestinian TV airs daring satire
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - September 20, 2009 - 12:00am

On "Saturday Night Live," which has long parodied politicians ranging from Jimmy Carter to Sarah Palin, these characters would be well within bounds: An Islamist judge who is a latent homosexual. A negotiator who emerges from peace talks stripped to his boxers. A president who worries about his Israeli-issued checkpoint pass. But this is Palestinian state TV. Premièring during the holy month of Ramadan, the first-ever Palestinian political satire show turns national leaders and military strongmen into absurd protagonists on its nightly broadcasts, winning a growing viewership.

Let's try something else
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram
by Samir Ghattas - September 18, 2009 - 12:00am

In three months time, we'll mark the anniversary of UN Resolution 181 of 1947, which provided for the partitioning of Palestine into two states, a Jewish one and an Arab one, with Jerusalem being an international zone.

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