Palestinian Statehood | The American Task Force on Palestine

Palestinians Seek New Path to State
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Wall Street Journal
by Richard Boudreaux - February 26, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian leaders here say they have lost faith in U.S. mediation with Israel and are weighing a new strategy to press for independence, including an appeal for United Nations recognition of a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The evolving strategy, inspired in part by uprisings across the Middle East, also envisions stepping up nonviolent protest against Israeli occupation and trying to end a deep schism between the West Bank's secularist-led Palestinian Authority and the Islamist group Hamas that governs Gaza.

Ian McEwan donates Jerusalem Prize money to Israeli-Palestinian peace group
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Maya Sela - February 25, 2011 - 1:00am

The British author Ian McEwan, who received the Jerusalem Prize at this year's International Book Fair, said he will be donating the $10,000 award to Combatants for Peace. The group was founded by Palestinians and Israelis who had previously taken an active part in fighting each other. Its representatives said they are committed to working to end the occupation and achieve a two-state solution. McEwan met Thursday with group representatives Bassem Ararmin, Muhammed Aweida, Yoni Yahav and Roi Amit to hand them the prize money.

An-nahar: "The Successes of Palestinian Authority Institution Building" in Arabic
Media Mention of Ziad Asali In An-Nahar - February 24, 2011 - 1:00am

AYALON: The death of ‘linkage’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Danny Ayalon - (Editorial) February 24, 2011 - 1:00am

The last few weeks and months have finally proven the fallacy of one of the most mistaken theories about development and peace in the Middle East. For a number of years, foreign officials, experts and commentators have claimed that if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was solved, then there would be peace in the Middle East. This was coined “linkage.”

Palestinian FM: Statehood by September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Felice Friedson - (Interview) February 23, 2011 - 1:00am

In an interview conducted on eve of UN Security Council vote on a resolution condemning settlement construction, Dr. Riyad Al-Malki, the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority, spoke to The Media Line about Iranian backing for Hamas, Palestinian statehood on-track for a September declaration and growing international support. The Media Line: Yasser Abed-Rabo said to me the other day that Mahmoud Abbas will not run for president. So, who will?

Preparing for September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Blog) February 21, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian officials view the September 2011 deadline for statehood very seriously and most of their political behavior between now and then needs to be taken in that context. The attempt to go to the United Nations Security Council should be viewed as part of Palestinian attempts to build up an international position that is more responsive to the failure of the bilateral approach and the inaction of the United States, the country sponsoring the bilateral process on behalf of the international community.

EU targets Palestinian state by September
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Steve Weizman - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday said the international community still sought to achieve a peace deal and a Palestinian state by September, despite the region's political turmoil. Despite the impasse in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the resignation of the Palestinian Authority cabinet as well as Saab Erekat, their chief negotiator, Ashton said the goal was still achievable. "It's a time-frame that everybody has signed up to," she told reporters in Jerusalem ahead of talks with President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

To build Palestine, support the plan that will establish a state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am

For decades, little attention has been paid to what has actually been happening on the ground with regard to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The institution-building programme of the Palestinian Authority, which has been spearheaded by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is surrounded by a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. This may be a function of the very nature of the programme: a political project that has its foundation in the technical aspects of building a nation.

To build Palestine, support the plan that will establish a state
In Print by Ziad Asali - The National (Opinion) - February 16, 2011 - 1:00am

For decades, little attention has been paid to what has actually been happening on the ground with regard to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The institution-building programme of the Palestinian Authority, which has been spearheaded by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is surrounded by a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. This may be a function of the very nature of the programme: a political project that has its foundation in the technical aspects of building a nation.

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