PA Advisors Brief ATFP Board and Foreign Government Representatives on Israel's 'Wall of Separation'
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - July 18, 2003 - 12:00am

Washington DC, Jul. 18 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) hosted today two members of the Palestinian Authority Negotiation Affairs Department. Stephanie Koury, legal advisor, and Fouad Hallak, technical advisor, briefed ATFP board members and a number of foreign government representatives on the impact of Israel’s ‘Wall of Separation’ on prospects for an Israel-Palestinian peace settlement. The U.S. tour of the two representatives is being conducted under the auspices of Bannerman & Associates, Inc.


US Government Announces $30 Million Quick Impact Aid Package for Gaza and the West Bank
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - July 3, 2003 - 12:00am

Washington DC, Jul. 3 -- Today, in a ceremony in Ramallah, the US Government announced plans for the disbursement of a $30 million Palestinian aid package through the United States Agency for International Development West Bank and Gaza Mission (USAID/WBG). Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Planning Nabil Qassis hosted the announcement ceremony to mark the US commitment, with Acting US Consul General in Jerusalem Jeffrey Feltman and USAID/WBG Mission Director Larry Garber participating.


ATFP Welcomes Summit Progress, Urges Greater Efforts on Mideast Peace
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - June 4, 2003 - 12:00am

Washington DC, Jun. 4 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) today welcomed progress on Middle East peace at the Aqaba summit and urged all parties to redouble their efforts to implement phase one of President Bush's road map. ATFP praised President Bush for his efforts to create new momentum towards a negotiated settlement of the conflict and reiterated its support for the roadmap. ATFP President Dr.


ATFP Applauds Bush's Personal Commitment to Peace and a Palestinian State
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - May 9, 2003 - 12:00am

Washington DC, May 9 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) applauded President George W. Bush's "personal commitment" to a Middle East peace centered on the creation of a "free and independent" Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel.


Israeli Missile Attack Kills Palestinians in Gaza
Press Release - Contact Information: Hussein Ibish - May 19, 2004 - 12:00am

Washington DC, May 19 -- The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) condemned the unprovoked killing today of unarmed Palestinians by the Israeli military in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza. According to press reports and hospital sources, Israeli forces fired a missile, four tank shells and machine guns at Palestinians peacefully demonstrating the ongoing Israeli incursion into Gaza, killing at least 10 Palestinian children and teenagers and wounding 50 people.


Area's Palestinians Mourn Loss of a Symbol
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Washington Post - November 12, 2004 - 1:00am

No one would call Sami Parbhoo a slavish follower of Yasser Arafat's. Over the years, the 32-year-old Takoma Park resident has freely criticized the Palestinian leader's rule. The mismanagement. The reports of corruption. The centralization of power. And yet, when Parbhoo, a Palestinian immigrant, woke up yesterday and learned that Arafat had died, he was shocked. Suddenly, his heart felt heavy.


Gaza: Gateway to Palestine or Anarchy?
In Print by Ziad Asali - Arab News (Opinion) - March 12, 2004 - 1:00am

After initially reacting with caution, the Bush Administration is now taking the Israeli proposal for unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip more seriously. The initial reaction of tepid interest has gradually given way to a highly engaged conversation.


Breaking the Gordian knot
In Print by Ziad Asali - Al-Ahram (Opinion) - May 1, 2003 - 12:00am

As tension persists in the Arab world over the Iraq war, it is imperative to act quickly to repair the political and diplomatic damage to US-Arab relations and our reputation in the Middle East.


Fences Don't Always Make Good Neighbors
Media Mention of ATFP In Seattle Post-Intelligencer - January 14, 2004 - 1:00am

Henry Kissinger still wants to be a player in U.S. foreign policy, but he is off base on a crucial issue in the Middle East. I'm convinced that Kissinger would give up all his riches -- accumulated by parlaying his government expertise into lucrative business connections -- if he could be secretary of state-in-perpetuity. Power has always meant more to him than money. When he was guiding our nation's foreign affairs in 1969 and the early 1970s as President Nixon's national security adviser and secretary of state, the world was his chessboard.


Bush's Inaction Over General's Islam Remarks Riles Two Faiths; Muslims call for rebuke of Boykin, but such a move could isolate key Christian supporters
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Los Angeles Times - November 23, 2003 - 1:00am

More than a month has passed since the disclosure that a fundamentalist Christian policymaker at the Pentagon had disparaged Muslims for worshipping idols. Yet to U.S. diplomats charged with selling America to the Arab world, the remarks by Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin are an albatross they cannot seem to shake. "I get calls from officials in Arab countries every day about Boykin," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "They are stunned nothing has happened."



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