A: No. This is a malicious calumny designed to undermine ATFP's integrity and political standing and reputation. It would be beneath our dignity and professionalism to serve any government, including our own American one, and charges that we do so are intended to undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the Task Force. However, ATFP is proud and gratified that its founding mission from 2003 of establishing a Palestinian state has become the official policy of the US government for many years. ATFP has consistently engaged the government to try to help implement this policy goal. ATFP brings a Palestinian-American and Arab-American perspective to the State Department, the White House, Congress and the rest of the US government in a receivable message and effective manner. As a policy organization, ATFP works within the established frameworks of the policy-making and framing processes in Washington.
Beginning from the perspective of enhancing the American national interest, ATFP has made significant headway in impacting policy on Palestine by working within the system and with the establishment, as all other effective American groups have done. This is achieved primarily by developing strong, effective working relations, based on professionalism and mutual respect, with our own government, other American organizations and relevant groups and individuals in the Middle East and around the world. Throughout, the clear emphasis has been on building these relationships while maintaining ATFP's absolute independence of decision-making.
ATFP has publicly disagreed with US policy on a number of occasions, including opposing the US veto [2] against the 2011 UN Security Council resolution on settlements, arguing strongly against US cuts in aid [3] to the Palestinian people, and by supporting boycotts [4] against Israeli settlement goods. The deep relationships we have made have been essential in allowing ATFP to help secure the release of American funds [5] for the Palestinian people and other key instances in which we have successfully pushed back against majority opinion or public policy in Washington.
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