Jerusalem is at the heart of the Palestinian struggle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Sarah Colborne - (Opinion) March 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Jerusalem is a city that embodies the cultural heritage of three religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Yet Palestinians – both Christian and Muslim – are being driven out of Jerusalem. Just one example of this ethnic cleansing is taking place in Silwan, where 1,000 residents are facing imminent eviction as their homes make way for the King David tourist park. In response to the urgency of the situation, an international alliance is mounting a series of peaceful protests worldwide on 30 March to call for an end to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in Jerusalem.

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Israeli textbooks foster hate, says author
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - March 19, 2012 - 12:00am

TEL AVIV // One asserts that Israel's Palestinian citizens shun modernisation and are building houses illegally. Another alleges the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank steals water from Israel. And elsewhere, that Palestinians have been a "terrifying demographic problem" for Israel. Such statements are part of mainstream schoolbooks in Israel that teach an "anti-Palestinian" approach in a bid to prepare Jewish children to be aggressive towards Palestinians once they serve in the army, according to a new book.

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In Israeli military, a growing orthodoxy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - March 7, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Roni Daniel saw the writing on the wall in a toilet. A former infantry commander who fought in three Middle East wars and now the dean of Israeli defence correspondents, Daniel recently visited military headquarters in Tel Aviv. There, a urinal that uses a motion detector to clean itself was signposted: “Forbidden on the Sabbath.” Troops, he realized, were being ordered to defer to Orthodox Jewish curbs on the use of electricity between Friday night and Saturday night.

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Israeli President to Protect Christian Sites
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 1, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel's President Shimon Peres has promised the Roman Catholic Church that the country will step up efforts to combat the vandalism of Christian holy sites by suspected Jewish extremists. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is the Vatican's custodian of religious sites in the Holy Land, asked the president earlier this week to intervene following the spraying of graffiti on two Christian churches in Jerusalem in February.

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ATFP Hosts Washington Dinner for Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land
Press Release - February 29, 2012 - 1:00am

Washington DC, Feb 29 -- The American Task Force on Palestine yesterday hosted a Washington dinner for the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL), the consultative body that comprises the most senior official Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders. CRIHL was established as the implementing body of the historic declaration signed in Alexandria, Egypt in 2002 in which Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders pledged to work together to end violence and promote peace. The event was sponsored by ATFP board member Dr. Adnan M. M. Mjalli and moderated by ATFP President Dr.


Israeli PM slams Palestinian leader's speech
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Ian Deitch - February 26, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for making an "inflammatory speech" about Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site on Sunday, saying his words undermine peace efforts. Speaking during a visit to Qatar, Abbas charged that Israel was intending to destroy Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, which sits atop the remains of the two biblical Jewish temples. It is the most sacred site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. The site is a very sensitive and emotional issue for Israelis and Palestinians.

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Qatar emir: Arab identity in Jerusalem at risk
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 26, 2012 - 1:00am

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar's ruler says the Arab identity in Jerusalem is threatened by Israeli expansion around the city claimed as capital by both Israel and Palestinians. Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani urged a U.N-backed investigation into Israeli settlements as well as Israeli actions in predominantly Arab districts in Jerusalem and surrounding areas captured by the Jewish state in 1967. His remarks Sunday opened a conference in the Gulf emirate's capital Doha on Jerusalem.

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Transatlantic Jewish Meeting Triggers Row
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Guttman - February 15, 2012 - 1:00am

Washington — A recent meeting between American Jewry’s primary umbrella group for Israel and other foreign affairs, and a controversial new European group has sparked heated exchanges among European and American Jewish leaders. In the days leading up to the meeting, communal officials on both continents warned the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations against its plans for an official exchange involving the American umbrella group and the European Jewish Union.

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Pro-Palestinian Presbyterians close Facebook page after complaints
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- A pro-Palestinian Presbyterian church affiliate pulled down its Facebook page after Jewish groups complained about offensive postings.

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It's time for Israel to separate religion and state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Uri Misgav - (Opinion) January 31, 2012 - 1:00am

According to John Lennon, "God is a concept by which we measure our pain." That means that Israel is apparently a nation in great pain. According to a sensational survey by the Guttman Center, 80 percent of Israeli Jews believe in God. Ostensibly this is a harsh statistic. Gideon Levy's heartfelt moan, as expressed in his opinion piece "God have mercy on us," which appeared in this newspaper earlier this week, is understandable.

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