U.S. House backs resolution to condemn Goldstone Gaza report
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Natasha Mozgovaya, Barak Ravid - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday condemned a UN report that accuses Israeli forces and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes in Gaza early this year as irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy. With a 344-36 vote, the House passed a nonbinding resolution that urged President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to oppose unequivocally any endorsement of the report. Twenty-two representatives voted present.

»

Alone in the world
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yigal Sarna - (Opinion) November 4, 2009 - 1:00am

To Benjamin Netanyahu’s credit, we should first note that there are no wars during his terms in office. This was the case during his first term, and this may be the case in the second one as well. He is a cautious man. Nahum Barnea referred to it as someone on early retirement. A man who does little and finds it difficult to make decisions. In respects to wars, his hesitation should be lauded.

»

Israel moves to rein in right-wing extremists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - November 4, 2009 - 1:00am

Shvut Rachel, West Bank - A US native from this isolated settlement was arrested by Israeli security services nearly a month ago amid allegations that he killed two Palestinians more than a decade ago and attempted to murder two others more recently. The local media are calling it the latest case of Jewish terrorism.

»

MI chief: Hamas missiles can strike Tel Aviv
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jonathan Lis - November 3, 2009 - 1:00am

Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip possess in their military arsenal a missile that is capable of striking Tel Aviv, the army's top military intelligence officer told a parliamentary panel in Jerusalem on Tuesday. The head of Military Intelligence for the Israel Defense Forces, General Amos Yadlin, told the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee on Tuesday that Hamas has recently tested a missile capable of reaching targets at a distance of 60 kilometers.

»

Interview: How Salam Fayyad plans to save the Palestinian dream
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - (Interview) November 2, 2009 - 1:00am

Palestinian elections are scheduled to be held in less than three months, but the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Salam Fayyad, isn't concerned about running for office. Rather, he's set his sights on a longer-term platform: establishing a Palestinian state by 2011 – a goal he outlined recently in a clear, well-organized booklet titled "Palestine: Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State."

»

U.S.-born Jewish terrorist suspected of series of attacks over past 12 years
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel - November 2, 2009 - 1:00am

The authorities have arrested a resident of the West Bank settlement of Shvut Rachel for suspected murder and a role in a string of murder plots, according to details of an investigation revealed Sunday after a gag order was lifted.

»

Report: Abbas fears violence without change in Israeli tactics
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 30, 2009 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly told Israeli officials that without movement in the peace process, he fears conditions in the region will rapidly deteriorate, the daily newspaper Haaretz reported Friday. Haaretz reported that Abbas feared the “descent into violence,” and noted there was a window of “two to three weeks” in which changes must take place in order to stabilize the area.

»

Abbas: Netanyahu hasn't changed since last stint as PM
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Barak Ravid - October 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is deeply suspicious of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is losing faith in his intentions to reach a peace agreement, Israeli officials have told Haaretz. "I know Netanyahu is pragmatic and everyone tells me he has changed," Abbas reportedly told the officials recently. "But I don't see it. I fear it's the same Netanyahu of 1996. How much longer can I still give him credit?" Abbas reportedly said he missed former prime minister Ehud Olmert, with whom he had "almost closed [a deal]."

»

Palestinian anger over Jerusalem is affecting Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - October 30, 2009 - 12:00am

The pattern repeats itself: A relatively marginal Jewish organization calls upon the public to hold prayers on the Temple Mount to mark Yom Kippur, Sukkot or, as was the case this week, "Rambam Day" (commemorating Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon's visit to the Land of Israel in the 12th century). These announcements win a great deal of attention in the Palestinian and Arab media, of course.

»

Ya'alon: I'll forgo Europe trips to allow IDF freedom
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
October 29, 2009 - 12:00am

Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday said he is "willing to forgo visits to European capitals and to allow the Israel Defense Forces the freedom to act." The former IDF chief of staff is one of several current and former senior Israeli officials whom pro-Palestinian groups have sought to put on trial over the assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh in July 2002. The attack also killed 14 civilians.

»


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