Palestinian Territories | The American Task Force on Palestine

Armistice Now: An Interim Agreement for Israel and Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Affairs
by Ehud Yaari - (Opinion) March 5, 2010 - 12:00am

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.

Jewish-Agency-style ‘Palestine Network’ launched in Bethlehem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Felice Friedson, Arieh O'Sullivan - March 3, 2010 - 12:00am

When Hanny Elqutub, the son of Palestinian refugees, arrived in America 30 years ago he was focused on carving out a life for himself in Houston. Palestinian identity was a frame of mind but never something he engaged personally. “Sometimes people who went to the US or Europe or South America were running away from bad economics, running away from occupation, running away from political circumstances,” Elqutub says.

Palestinians: Netanyahu's claim to West Bank destroys peace efforts
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff, Barak Ravid - January 24, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority has condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for laying Israel's claim to certain West Bank land during a tree planting ceremony in a settlement bloc earlier Sunday, saying the move undermined efforts to return to the negotiating table. "This is an unacceptable act that destroys all the efforts being exerted by Senator [George] Mitchell in order to bring the parties back to the negotiating table," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' aide Nabil Abu Rudeineh said, referring to U.S. President Barack Obama's special Middle East envoy.

Israeli resentment grows on trees
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Seth Freedman - (Opinion) December 7, 2009 - 12:00am

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is no stranger to controversy, its sectarian approach to charity work having fomented tension for decades in Israel and abroad. The JNF is once again embroiled in a row, though this time the tables have turned, with the fund's administrators finding themselves cast as pantomime villains by diehard supporters of the Jewish state.

Netanyahu Says Swap of Prisoners Is Uncertain
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - November 24, 2009 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Tuesday to temper expectations about a deal to exchange a captured Israeli soldier for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, saying “There is still no deal, and I do not know if there will be one.” Addressing the fears of some Israelis that a swap would boost the standing of Hamas, Mr. Netanyahu said the authorities would “not be sparing with a public discussion. We will not do it as a fait accompli,” news reports said.

What does Israel have against a Palestinian stadium?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - November 20, 2009 - 12:00am

A friendly game between an Arab soccer team and a Palestinian team was supposed to inaugurate the new stadium being built in the eastern part of Al-Bireh, near Ramallah, at the end of the year. "Supposed to" because the Civil Administration, an arm of the Defense Ministry, has ordered that the work be halted and is threatening demolition.

Abbas is a partner for peace. Is Netanyahu?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) October 25, 2009 - 11:00pm

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a presidential decree that elections will be held in January. This followed his decision to sign the Egyptian plan for intra-Palestinian reconciliation, knowing that Hamas would refuse to sign.

Obama committed to two-state solution in ME, says aide
Media Mention of ATFP In Arab News - October 19, 2009 - 11:00pm

Barbara Ferguson I Arab News WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is committed to creating a Palestinian state and determined to move forward with peace talks, said National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, at the fourth annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent. The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states," said Gen. Jones, adding that he was proud to represent President Barack Obama at the ATFP event, held this weekend.

A New Image of Palestine in Washington
Media Mention of ATFP In Al-Raya - October 19, 2009 - 11:00pm

by Khairallah Khairallah (a translation from Arabic, see below for Arabic version)

Obama committed to two-state solution in ME, says aide
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Barbara Ferguson - October 19, 2009 - 11:00pm

The Obama administration is committed to creating a Palestinian state and determined to move forward with peace talks, said National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones, at the fourth annual gala of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP). "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent. The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states," said Gen. Jones, adding that he was proud to represent President Barack Obama at the ATFP event, held this weekend.