American Task Force on Palestine
Encyclopedia
The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) is an organization founded in 2003 to advocate that it is in the American national interest to promote an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the creation of a Palestinian state that will live alongside Israel in peace and security. ATFP condemns all violence directed against civilians no matter who the victims or perpetrators may be.
ATFP is funded entirely by its Board of Directors and supporters. It has never received funding from any government or government agency. ATFP’s signed, audited financial statements are posted online on its website.
ATFP works primarily in Washington DC, and seeks to build strong working relationships with government departments and agencies, think tanks, NGOs and the media. It has developed lines of communication with the US, Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian governments in order to pursue its policy advocacy goals. ATFP has also engaged in humanitarian fundraising to support health and education causes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
was president of the AJC.
In early 2004, the Task Force helped promote and publicize the Geneva Accords
in the United States. In November 2004, ATFP President Ziad Asali
served as a member of the United States official delegation to the funeral of Chairman Yasser Arafat
. He subsequently served as a member of the United States official delegation to observe the Palestinian Presidential elections in January 2005. On February 10, 2005, Asali testified before a full committee hearing of the House International Relations Committee on “the way forward in the Middle East peace process.” Asali was also a delegate with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to monitor the Palestinian Legislative election in January 2006. In February 2006 ATFP issued its Vision for a Palestinian State, first published in the New York Times.
In December 2006, a 10-member delegation from ATFP’s leadership traveled to the region and held substantive meetings with top political leaders including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
and acting Israeli Prime Minister Tzipi Livni
.
On February 12, 2009, Asali testified at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia hearing on the aftermath of the war in Gaza. At the hearing, ATFP also submitted an extensive 50-page report on the circumstances, aftermath and consequences of the war.
On March 4, 2010, Asali spoke before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on "Middle East Peace: Ground Truths, Challenges Ahead".
On October 11, 2006, ATFP held its first annual in Washington, DC, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Condoleezza Rice
, also addressed by American of Palestinian descent Sen. John E. Sununu
and Sen. Carl Levin
. Rice told an audience of 500, “I believe that there could be no greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian state for a people who have suffered too long, who have been humiliated too long, who have not reached their potential for too long, and who have so much to give to the international community and to all of us. I promise you my personal commitment to that goal.“
The 2007 gala featured Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns
, the highest-ranking Foreign Service office at the State Department, as keynote speaker and also remarks by Mr.Walter Isaacson
, chairman and CEO of the Aspen Institute.
On October 12, 2008 ATFP's Third annual gala was addressed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
.
On October 15, 2009, National Security Advisor Gen. James L. Jones was the keynote speaker at ATFP's Fourth annual gala. "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent," said Gen. Jones, "The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states." The National Security Advisor emphasized that, "President Obama's dedication to achieve these goals is unshaken, is committed, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of achieving these." He said that ending the conflict and the occupation is essential because what is at stake is "nothing less than the dignity and the security of all human beings."
Gov. John H. Sununu
Mr. Jesse Aweida
Dr. Mujid Kazimi
2007:
Ambassador Theodore Kattouf
Mr. Farouk Shami
Theodore Baramki, M.D.
2008:
T.H. George Salem, Esq.
Dr. Adnan Mjalli
Mr. Simon Shaheen
Mr. Rami Kashou
2009:
Dr. Najat Arafat Khelil
Dr. Shibley Telhami
Dr. Fuad Jubran
T.H. Robert H. Pelletreau Jr.
, the ATFP states on its website that "The right of return is an integral part of international humanitarian law, and cannot be renounced by any parties. There is no Palestinian constituency of consequence that would agree to the renunciation of this right. There is also no Jewish constituency of consequence in Israel that would accept the return of millions of Palestinian refugees... The challenge for the Israeli and Palestinian national leaderships is to arrive at a formula that recognizes refugee rights but which does not contradict the basis of a two-state solution and an end to the conflict."
In August 2008, ACP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ensuring that all recipients of ACP donations in Palestine are fully vetted and approved by USAID. This is the first such agreement between USAID and any private organization, and it was described by USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore as a “historic step.” ACP donors are and therefore assured that their generosity will be distributed in full compliance with US law as well as reaching truly deserving recipients.
ACP focuses primarily on the fields of health and education. These two sectors are not only central to the immediate improvement of the quality of life for Palestinians, but also indispensable for laying the foundations of a viable future Palestinian state to live alongside Israel. In targeting these two sectors, ACP hopes to advance the cause of peace based on two states – Israel and Palestine – and to support efforts by the United States government to realize this crucial policy goal. In its humanitarian projects, ACP works directly with Palestinian and international charities, as well as USAID and Palestinian Authority agencies.
Since signing its partnership agreement with USAID, ACP has started three charitable initiatives benefiting Palestinians in the West Bank, with amounts totaling $605,000 in contributions.
ACP is committed to making a strategic impact on the quality of education and health care delivery to Palestinians. ACP’s partnership with USAID has created a mechanism that reassures donors, vets recipients and provides accountability and transparency. This unique package of safeguards, partnerships and services is particularly suited to attract donors who have an interest in promoting peace and security. ACP believes there is an intimate connection between improving living conditions and providing hope and the reality of a secure peace between Israel and Palestine.
, a senior fellow at the Task Force. The Task Force had previously issued its “Palestine - Israel 101” power-point slideshow on the history of the conflict and prospects for peace in the region. ATFP has also created a brief video on the history of Palestinian Americans, “Snapshots of Palestinian Americans.”
In 2009, ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish
published the book "What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda?" (ATFP, 2009). It offers the first sustained critique from a pro-Palestinian point of view of the idea of creating a single state for all Israelis and Palestinians instead of the goal of ending the occupation and forging a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.
ATFP has also published numerous issue and policy analysis papers.
In March 2005, dozens of organizations representing Palestinian refugee communities signed a statement in response to statements made by ATFP president Ziad Asali "declaring that various statements and false representations by the president of the Washington-based "American Task Force on Palestine" (ATFP) Dr. Ziad Asali nullifying the Palestinian right to return and demeaning the Palestinian and Arab people are reprehensible and entirely outside the consensus of our people." The statement alleged that "voices such as Asali's are part of a larger concerted effort to introduce a false veneer of moderation as a replacement for the legitimate inalienable rights of the Palestinian and Arab people, represented by their right to return, sovereignty and self-determination.".
In 2007, ATFP answered many of its most persistent criticisms in an issue paper addressing a wide range of attacks against the organization.
, M.D., President—Asali is a long-time activist on Middle East issues. He has been a member of the Chairman's Council of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
(ADC) since 1982, and has served as ADC’s President from 2001 to 2003. He served as the President of the Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG) from 1993 to 1995, and was Chairman of the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ), which he co-founded, from 1995 to 2003. He was born in Jerusalem, where he completed his elementary and secondary education. He received an M.D. from the American University of Beirut (AUB) Medical School in 1967. He completed his residency in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then practiced medicine in Jerusalem before returning to the US in 1973. Asali was the Medical Director and Chairman of the Board at the Christian County Medical Clinic in Taylorville, Illinois and he served as Chairman of the Board of Physicians Health Association of Illinois before he retired in 2000. He is a Diplomat of the Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Hussein Ibish
, Senior Fellow—Ibish also currently serves as Executive Director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership. He has made thousands of radio and television appearances and has written for many newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, and was Washington Correspondent for the Daily Star (Beirut). He is editor and principal author of 3 major studies of Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans 1998-2000 (ADC, 2001), Sept. 11, 2001-Oct. 11, 2002 (ADC, 2003), and numerous other book chapters and essays. His latest book is Wrong with the One-State Agenda: Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal (ATFP, 2009). He also maintains an independent blog, the Ibishblog. From 1998 to 2004, Ibish served as Communications Director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab-American membership organization in the United States. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ghaith Al-Omari, Advocacy Director—Al-Omari served in various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including Director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President, and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In these capacities, he provided advice on foreign policy—especially vis-à-vis the United States and Israel—and security. He has extensive experience in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, having been an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations (1999–2001). In that capacity, he participated in various negotiating rounds, most notably the Camp David summit and the Taba talks. After the breakdown of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, he was the lead Palestinian drafter of the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial model peace agreement negotiated between leading Palestinian and Israeli public figures. Mr. al-Omari is a lawyer by training and a graduate of Georgetown and Oxford universities. Prior to his involvement in the Middle East peace process, he taught international law in Jordan and was active in human rights advocacy.
ATFP is funded entirely by its Board of Directors and supporters. It has never received funding from any government or government agency. ATFP’s signed, audited financial statements are posted online on its website.
ATFP works primarily in Washington DC, and seeks to build strong working relationships with government departments and agencies, think tanks, NGOs and the media. It has developed lines of communication with the US, Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian governments in order to pursue its policy advocacy goals. ATFP has also engaged in humanitarian fundraising to support health and education causes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
History
The American Task Force on Palestine was founded in 2003 as the successor organization to the American Committee on Jerusalem (1995-2003.) Rashid KhalidiRashid Khalidi
Rashid Ismail Khalidi , born 1948, a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East, is the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, and director of the Middle East Institute of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.-Family, education and...
was president of the AJC.
In early 2004, the Task Force helped promote and publicize the Geneva Accords
Geneva accords
The Geneva Accords, known formally as the agreements on the settlement of the situation relating to Afghanistan, were signed on 14 April 1988 between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the United States and the Soviet Union serving as guarantors....
in the United States. In November 2004, ATFP President Ziad Asali
Ziad Asali
Ziad J. Asali, M.D., is the President and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a 5013 non-profit, non-partisan organization.-Education:...
served as a member of the United States official delegation to the funeral of Chairman Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
. He subsequently served as a member of the United States official delegation to observe the Palestinian Presidential elections in January 2005. On February 10, 2005, Asali testified before a full committee hearing of the House International Relations Committee on “the way forward in the Middle East peace process.” Asali was also a delegate with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to monitor the Palestinian Legislative election in January 2006. In February 2006 ATFP issued its Vision for a Palestinian State, first published in the New York Times.
In December 2006, a 10-member delegation from ATFP’s leadership traveled to the region and held substantive meetings with top political leaders including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas , also known by the kunya Abu Mazen , has been the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation since 11 November 2004 and became President of the Palestinian National Authority on 15 January 2005 on the Fatah ticket.Elected to serve until 9 January 2009, he unilaterally...
and acting Israeli Prime Minister Tzipi Livni
Tzipi Livni
Tzipporah Malkah "Tzipi" Livni is an Israeli lawyer and politician. She is the current Israeli Opposition Leader and leader of Kadima, the largest party in the Knesset. Raised an ardent nationalist, Livni has become one of her nation's leading voices for the two-state solution. In Israel she has...
.
On February 12, 2009, Asali testified at a House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia hearing on the aftermath of the war in Gaza. At the hearing, ATFP also submitted an extensive 50-page report on the circumstances, aftermath and consequences of the war.
On March 4, 2010, Asali spoke before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on "Middle East Peace: Ground Truths, Challenges Ahead".
ATFP annual galas
In the fall of every year since 2006, ATFP has hosted galas in Washington DC celebrating the accomplishments of and honoring significant Palestinian Americans and hosting prominent keynote speakers.On October 11, 2006, ATFP held its first annual in Washington, DC, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, also addressed by American of Palestinian descent Sen. John E. Sununu
John E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
and Sen. Carl Levin
Carl Levin
Carl Milton Levin is a Jewish-American United States Senator from Michigan, serving since 1979. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
. Rice told an audience of 500, “I believe that there could be no greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian state for a people who have suffered too long, who have been humiliated too long, who have not reached their potential for too long, and who have so much to give to the international community and to all of us. I promise you my personal commitment to that goal.“
The 2007 gala featured Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns
R. Nicholas Burns
R. Nicholas Burns is a retired American diplomat. He is currently Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a member of the Board of Directors of the school's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs...
, the highest-ranking Foreign Service office at the State Department, as keynote speaker and also remarks by Mr.Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
, chairman and CEO of the Aspen Institute.
On October 12, 2008 ATFP's Third annual gala was addressed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad is a Palestinian politician and Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority of the Palestinian National Authority. His first appointment, on 15 June 2007, which was justified by President Mahmoud Abbas on the basis of "national emergency", has not been confirmed by the...
.
On October 15, 2009, National Security Advisor Gen. James L. Jones was the keynote speaker at ATFP's Fourth annual gala. "We are clear, unambiguous and consistent," said Gen. Jones, "The time has come to relaunch negotiations without preconditions to reach a final status agreement on two states." The National Security Advisor emphasized that, "President Obama's dedication to achieve these goals is unshaken, is committed, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of achieving these." He said that ending the conflict and the occupation is essential because what is at stake is "nothing less than the dignity and the security of all human beings."
ATFP gala honorees
2006:- ATFP Award for Outstanding Contributions to Government Service
Gov. John H. Sununu
John H. Sununu
John Henry Sununu is a former Governor of New Hampshire and former White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. He is the father of John E. Sununu, a former senator from New Hampshire, and formerly a U.S. Representative...
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Commerce and Industry
Mr. Jesse Aweida
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Scholarship
Dr. Mujid Kazimi
2007:
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Government Service
Ambassador Theodore Kattouf
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Commerce and Industry
Mr. Farouk Shami
Farouk Shami
Farouk Shami is a Palestinian-American businessman from Ramallah, West Bank, who now lives in Houston, Texas, where he runs the hair-care and spa products company, Farouk Systems....
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Medicine
Theodore Baramki, M.D.
2008:
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Government Service
T.H. George Salem, Esq.
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Business & Science
Dr. Adnan Mjalli
- ATFP Award for Excellence in the Arts
Mr. Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen is a Palestinian-American oud and violin virtuoso and composer....
- Special Welcome
Mr. Rami Kashou
2009:
- ATFP Award for Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Najat Arafat Khelil
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Scholarship
Dr. Shibley Telhami
- ATFP Award for Excellence in Science and Medical Education
Dr. Fuad Jubran
- Special Recognition: 20 Years of U.S.-Palestinian Diplomacy
T.H. Robert H. Pelletreau Jr.
Principles
ATFP advocates the following six principles towards a fair and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:- Two sovereign states—Israel and Palestine—living side by side in peace and security based on the borders of June 4, 1967 with mutually agreed upon territorial adjustments.
- An end to the Israeli occupation and the evacuation of all Israeli settlements, save for equitable arrangements mutually agreed upon by the negotiating parties.
- A just solution for the Palestinian refugee problem, in accordance with international legality and the relevant UN resolutions.
- A shared Jerusalem open to all faiths, serving as the capital of two states, providing for the fulfillment of the political aspirations of both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.
- Full acceptance of Israel by all Arab states, and normalized diplomatic and economic relations throughout the region.
- A "Marshall Plan" style package of aid and investment for Palestine and the new Middle East.
Palestine and the US National Interest
ATFP’s advocacy emphasizes the positive aspects of Palestinian statehood, and especially why the creation of a Palestinian state is good for the United States. ATFP stresses five key benefits of the creation of a Palestinian state to the American national interest:- Promote U.S. Interests in the Middle East generally: “Peace based on the creation of a Palestinian state will remove the greatest single obstacle to achieving U.S. policy objectives in the Middle East. More specifically, the emerging Palestinian state will be a new democracy, a new ally of the United States, and a peace partner to Israel.“
- Remove one of the major rallying calls of terrorists: “Many people, including former senior government officials, CIA officers, political scientists and commentators and other persons closely associated with the American establishment and having impeccable reputations have made the point forcefully that a resolution of the conflict and the creation of a Palestinian state would be a major blow to anti-American extremism in the region.“
- Strongly Enhance the US Role as World Leader: “Americans believe that they should be trusted to run a monopolar world system in the general interest of all. They also understand that the world expects a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially close allies such as the UK.”
- The Opening of Major Middle Eastern Economic Markets: “Resolving the conflict would mean the removal of major barriers to trade and other relations between the United States and 23 Arab states, and 1.2 billion Muslims around the world, to the tremendous mutual benefit of both Americans and Arabs.“
- A Major Step in Promoting American Values Worldwide: “The creation of a Palestinian state means the birth of a new democracy, and the emergence of millions of new citizens of a new democracy, and the ending of a period in which millions of people lived without benefit of those basic political freedoms which constitute the founding ethos of the United States.“
ATFP’s Vision for Palestine
On February 3, 2006, ATFP published in the New York Times its Vision for the character of the Palestinian state it advocates. The vision advocates that the state of Palestine be:- Pluralistic: “It must be a genuinely pluralistic state for all its citizens, which recognizes and celebrates their diversity while it treats them equally and with neutrality.”
- Democratic: “Palestine, for reasons of its own internal stability and for the regional role it needs to play, should be a democratic state built on the foundations of pluralism. Its political structures will be based on a multiparty system without ideological disqualifiers, that regular elections ensure the consent of the governed, that there be an independent judiciary that applies the rule of law in an equitable and impartial manner, and that fundamental individual political rights such as freedom of expression and assembly are guaranteed”
- Non-militarized: “The immediate order of business in the independent state of Palestine must be social and economic development. Non-militarization would realize very substantial economic benefits and free resources for investment in education and other tools for the development of human capital, which should be the foremost priority.”
- A Positive, Stabilizing Regional Player: “A Palestinian state committed to peaceful coexistence, non-belligerence and military neutrality would have a powerful moral voice in promoting international legality and regional stability”
Right of Return
Regarding the Palestinian Right of ReturnRight of return
The term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
, the ATFP states on its website that "The right of return is an integral part of international humanitarian law, and cannot be renounced by any parties. There is no Palestinian constituency of consequence that would agree to the renunciation of this right. There is also no Jewish constituency of consequence in Israel that would accept the return of millions of Palestinian refugees... The challenge for the Israeli and Palestinian national leaderships is to arrive at a formula that recognizes refugee rights but which does not contradict the basis of a two-state solution and an end to the conflict."
Humanitarian Efforts
ATFP launched the Palestinian Humanitarian Fund appeal in May 2006 to collect donations for humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people. ATFP donates all funds raised from the Palestinian Humanitarian Fund to medical facilities in the West Bank and Gaza. In total, ATFP has donated $55,000 to medical facilities in the West Bank and Gaza for Palestinian humanitarian relief. In August 2006, ATFP donated $45,000, with grants going to Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem, St. Luke’s Hospital in Nablus, and the Washington, D.C.-based United Palestinian Appeal (UPA). On January 23, 2007, ATFP launched a humanitarian medical program to help alleviate the Palestinian medical situation in the West Bank. The program, 'Healing Palestinians,' will consist of one-week rotations to several West Bank hospitals beginning in Summer 2007.American Charities for Palestine
In June 2007, members of the ATFP Board of Directors established a sister organization, American Charities for Palestine (ACP), an innovative charitable organization for the purpose of creating a secure mechanism for distributing contributions that improve the quality of life for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. ACP is pioneering a new approach for distributing secure donations to worthy causes that will help build both peace and Palestine. ACP is designated by the IRS as 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization.In August 2008, ACP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) ensuring that all recipients of ACP donations in Palestine are fully vetted and approved by USAID. This is the first such agreement between USAID and any private organization, and it was described by USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore as a “historic step.” ACP donors are and therefore assured that their generosity will be distributed in full compliance with US law as well as reaching truly deserving recipients.
ACP focuses primarily on the fields of health and education. These two sectors are not only central to the immediate improvement of the quality of life for Palestinians, but also indispensable for laying the foundations of a viable future Palestinian state to live alongside Israel. In targeting these two sectors, ACP hopes to advance the cause of peace based on two states – Israel and Palestine – and to support efforts by the United States government to realize this crucial policy goal. In its humanitarian projects, ACP works directly with Palestinian and international charities, as well as USAID and Palestinian Authority agencies.
Since signing its partnership agreement with USAID, ACP has started three charitable initiatives benefiting Palestinians in the West Bank, with amounts totaling $605,000 in contributions.
ACP is committed to making a strategic impact on the quality of education and health care delivery to Palestinians. ACP’s partnership with USAID has created a mechanism that reassures donors, vets recipients and provides accountability and transparency. This unique package of safeguards, partnerships and services is particularly suited to attract donors who have an interest in promoting peace and security. ACP believes there is an intimate connection between improving living conditions and providing hope and the reality of a secure peace between Israel and Palestine.
Publications
In 2006, ATFP published a volume summarizing its efforts and positions to date, Principles and Pragmatism: Key Documents from the American Task Force on Palestine, edited by Board Member Saliba Sarsar, Associate Vice President of Monmouth University, and Hussein IbishHussein Ibish
Hussein Yusuf Kamal Ibish is a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1963. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is active in advocacy for Arab causes in the United States...
, a senior fellow at the Task Force. The Task Force had previously issued its “Palestine - Israel 101” power-point slideshow on the history of the conflict and prospects for peace in the region. ATFP has also created a brief video on the history of Palestinian Americans, “Snapshots of Palestinian Americans.”
In 2009, ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish
Hussein Ibish
Hussein Yusuf Kamal Ibish is a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1963. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is active in advocacy for Arab causes in the United States...
published the book "What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda?" (ATFP, 2009). It offers the first sustained critique from a pro-Palestinian point of view of the idea of creating a single state for all Israelis and Palestinians instead of the goal of ending the occupation and forging a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.
ATFP has also published numerous issue and policy analysis papers.
Criticism
In a July 20, 2007 article published by The Electronic Intifada, Palestinian commentator Osamah Khalil called for a boycott of officials and institutions associated with the Palestinian Authority, "including diplomatic fronts like the American Task Force on Palestine, a group that boasts among its slim record of 'achievements,' sponsoring polo matches and hosting a speech by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice." Khalil viewed the Palestinian Authority as fundamentally antithetical to the goal of Palestinian liberation.In March 2005, dozens of organizations representing Palestinian refugee communities signed a statement in response to statements made by ATFP president Ziad Asali "declaring that various statements and false representations by the president of the Washington-based "American Task Force on Palestine" (ATFP) Dr. Ziad Asali nullifying the Palestinian right to return and demeaning the Palestinian and Arab people are reprehensible and entirely outside the consensus of our people." The statement alleged that "voices such as Asali's are part of a larger concerted effort to introduce a false veneer of moderation as a replacement for the legitimate inalienable rights of the Palestinian and Arab people, represented by their right to return, sovereignty and self-determination.".
In 2007, ATFP answered many of its most persistent criticisms in an issue paper addressing a wide range of attacks against the organization.
Staff
Ziad AsaliZiad Asali
Ziad J. Asali, M.D., is the President and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a 5013 non-profit, non-partisan organization.-Education:...
, M.D., President—Asali is a long-time activist on Middle East issues. He has been a member of the Chairman's Council of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee states that it is the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States. According to its web page it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and has over 40 chapters in 24 states and members in all...
(ADC) since 1982, and has served as ADC’s President from 2001 to 2003. He served as the President of the Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG) from 1993 to 1995, and was Chairman of the American Committee on Jerusalem (ACJ), which he co-founded, from 1995 to 2003. He was born in Jerusalem, where he completed his elementary and secondary education. He received an M.D. from the American University of Beirut (AUB) Medical School in 1967. He completed his residency in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then practiced medicine in Jerusalem before returning to the US in 1973. Asali was the Medical Director and Chairman of the Board at the Christian County Medical Clinic in Taylorville, Illinois and he served as Chairman of the Board of Physicians Health Association of Illinois before he retired in 2000. He is a Diplomat of the Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Hussein Ibish
Hussein Ibish
Hussein Yusuf Kamal Ibish is a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1963. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is active in advocacy for Arab causes in the United States...
, Senior Fellow—Ibish also currently serves as Executive Director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership. He has made thousands of radio and television appearances and has written for many newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune, and was Washington Correspondent for the Daily Star (Beirut). He is editor and principal author of 3 major studies of Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans 1998-2000 (ADC, 2001), Sept. 11, 2001-Oct. 11, 2002 (ADC, 2003), and numerous other book chapters and essays. His latest book is Wrong with the One-State Agenda: Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal (ATFP, 2009). He also maintains an independent blog, the Ibishblog. From 1998 to 2004, Ibish served as Communications Director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest Arab-American membership organization in the United States. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ghaith Al-Omari, Advocacy Director—Al-Omari served in various positions within the Palestinian Authority, including Director of the International Relations Department in the Office of the Palestinian President, and advisor to former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In these capacities, he provided advice on foreign policy—especially vis-à-vis the United States and Israel—and security. He has extensive experience in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, having been an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team throughout the permanent status negotiations (1999–2001). In that capacity, he participated in various negotiating rounds, most notably the Camp David summit and the Taba talks. After the breakdown of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, he was the lead Palestinian drafter of the Geneva Initiative, an unofficial model peace agreement negotiated between leading Palestinian and Israeli public figures. Mr. al-Omari is a lawyer by training and a graduate of Georgetown and Oxford universities. Prior to his involvement in the Middle East peace process, he taught international law in Jordan and was active in human rights advocacy.
Board of directors
- Samir Abu-Ghazaleh, M.D.
- Terry Ahwal
- Emeel Ajluni
- Reema Ali, Esq.
- Naila Asali
- Ziad J. Asali, M.D.
- Marwan Atalla
- Husam Atari
- Jesse I. Aweida
- Peter Aweida
- Bilal Ayyub
- Samiah Bahhur
- Ameen Estaiteyeh
- Rima Idrissi Garrow
- Essam Ghalayini
- Bishr Husseini
- Maha Kaddoura
- Omar M. Kader, Ph.D.
- Bishop Samir Kafity
- Najat Arafat Khelil
- Daoud Kuttab
- Randa Masri
- Hani Masri
- Farah Munayyer
- Adnan M. M. Mjalli
- G.F. Joey (Ghaith) Musmar
- Joseph Qutub
- Rateb Y. Rabie
- George Salem, Esq.
- Saliba Sarsar, Ph.D.
- Mohammed Shadid
- Farouk ShamiFarouk ShamiFarouk Shami is a Palestinian-American businessman from Ramallah, West Bank, who now lives in Houston, Texas, where he runs the hair-care and spa products company, Farouk Systems....
- Charles Shamieh
- Zuhair Suidan
- Cheryl Sukhtian
- Hala Taweel
- Basel Yanes, M.D.
- Ali Zaghab, Ph.D.
See also
- Hussein IbishHussein IbishHussein Yusuf Kamal Ibish is a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1963. He has a Ph.D. in Comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is active in advocacy for Arab causes in the United States...
- Ziad AsaliZiad AsaliZiad J. Asali, M.D., is the President and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a 5013 non-profit, non-partisan organization.-Education:...
- If Americans KnewIf Americans KnewIf Americans Knew is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Foreign policy of the United States regarding the Middle East, offering analysis of American media coverage of these issues. Its mission, according to the group's website, is to provide "what every...
- American Palestine Public Affairs ForumAmerican Palestine Public Affairs ForumThe American Palestine Public Affairs Forum is a non-profit 501 organization that attempts to promote the interests of Palestinians in the United States. The organization promotes non-violence, democracy in the Middle East, and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
- Palestine Investment ConferencePalestine Investment ConferenceThe Palestine Investment Conference is aimed at strengthening the economy of Palestine and supporting a future Palestinian State. It took place in Bethlehem in 2008 and 2010. The conference was hosted in 2008 by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and in 2010 by Palestinian President Mahmoud...
- Tareq SalahiTareq SalahiTareq Dirgham Salahi is a former American vintner and former public official. He and his wife, Michaele, gained national attention in November 2009 by allegedly crashing a White House state dinner in honor of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh...
External links
- American Task Force on Palestine official website
- Ghaith al-Omari at the New America FoundationNew America FoundationThe New America Foundation is a non-profit public policy institute and think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA. It was founded in 1999 by Ted Halstead, Sherle Schwenninger, Michael Lind and Walter Russell Mead....
- Ghaith al-Omari at Middle East Progress
- Column archive at The Daily StarDaily Star (Lebanon)The Daily Star is a pan-Middle East English language newspaper edited in Beirut. It was founded in 1952 by Kamel Mrowa, the publisher of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat to serve the growing number of expatriates brought by the oil industry...