Gaza Strip | The American Task Force on Palestine

1000th day of Israeli blockade on Gaza Strip marked
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 12, 2010 - 1:00am

Palestinians light candles forming the number 1000 during a rally marking 1000 days of the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City on March 11, 2010. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)

Armistice Now: An Interim Agreement for Israel and Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs
by Ehud Yaari - (Opinion) March 5, 2010 - 1:00am

More than 16 years after the euphoria of the Oslo accords, the Israelis and the Palestinians have still not reached a final-status peace agreement. Indeed, the last decade has been dominated by setbacks -- the second intifada, which started in September 2000; Hamas' victory in the January 2006 Palestinian legislative elections; and then its military takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 -- all of which have aggravated the conflict.

Hamas denies al-Qaida-style groups operating in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

Hamas authorities on Thursday denied reports that al-Qaida-style groups were operating in the Gaza Strip to shake Hamas' rule. "There is no group representing the international definition of Jihad," Hamas' Interior Minister Fatthi Hammad told Xinhua. "There were small groups that have been suppressed," he added. "The situation on the ground is still good and we still maintain order," Hammad said.

How to handle Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Adam Ingram - (Opinion) March 4, 2010 - 1:00am

The recent assassination of a founder of Hamas' armed wing, allegedly involved in the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, has strained relations between Britain and Israel, but is also a sad reminder of the wider repercussions of Hamas' control of the Gaza Strip. If Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world are to find a way to resolve the Middle East conflict, it must be on the basis of politics, diplomacy and a respect for human life.

Are the Settlements Illegal?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The American Interest
by Nicholas Rostow - (Analysis) March 1, 2010 - 1:00am

Israeli settlements in the territories that came under Israeli control as a result of the June 1967 war have long been a subject of often highly emotional debate within the United States, Israel and the international community. The Obama Administration’s decision to focus on settlements right out of the gate heightened attention on this already salient issue, but it is by no means clear that heightened attention will by itself facilitate resolution of the Palestine/Israel problem.

In seaside Gaza, fish in short supply
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal Al-Mughrabi - February 24, 2010 - 1:00am

With their fishermen at risk of being shot at by the Israeli navy, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are finding new ways to supply the blockaded territory with a staple that is in short supply. Seafood is coming into the Mediterranean enclave through tunnels from Egypt and fish farms are starting to fill a supply gap resulting from restrictions that stop fishermen from venturing more than 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the coast.

Four Palestinians killed in southern Gaza Strip: medics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 23, 2010 - 1:00am

Four Palestinians, including three children were killed on Monday night in two separate incidents in southern Gaza Strip ruled by Islamic Hamas movement, medics in Gaza said. They said that three children, all are brothers, were killed at their home in the village of Abbassan, east of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, when an electric generator exploded, adding that five family members were injured.

Violence in Gaza flares up while PLO seeks U.S. guarantees to resume Middle East peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - February 21, 2010 - 1:00am

Violence between Israel and the Palestinians had on Saturday mounted in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip while a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official said the Palestinians seek the U.S. guarantees to resume the stalled Middle East peace process. Palestinian and Israeli security sources said on Saturday that Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers traded fire near Gaza Strip-Israel borders east of the southern town of Khan Younis, wounding eight Palestinians, including two militants and six civilians.

Corruption…The Conflict between Ramallah and Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Ali Ibrahim - (Opinion) February 17, 2010 - 1:00am

The decision taken by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to suspend his chief of staff as a result of the case created by the dissident Palestinian intelligence officer who revealed violations and corruption committed by officials in the Palestinian Authority on Israeli television was most certainly the right decision. However we must take into account that a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty and it is the task of the commission of inquiry to investigate this and this commission is scheduled to submit its report within three weeks.

Hamas's Apology
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Osman Mirghani - (Opinion) February 11, 2010 - 1:00am

Hardly a day goes by without us being disturbed by the exchange of [verbal] heavy artillery in the war of words that is taking place between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas movement. This is a war that is overshadowing all other issues on the Palestinian scene, to the extent that it eclipses the concern towards the suffering of the helpless Palestinian citizens who are under oppressive occupation and facing harsh internal division and escalating suffering, particularly in the Gaza Strip.