April 28th

President's office dismisses Netanyahu warning ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Adnkronosinternational April 28, 2011 - 12:00am Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said Wednesday that an agreement between Fatah and Hamas “is an internal affair that has nothing to do with Israel, which is not a party to it.” "The agreement strengthens Palestinian unity and its just struggle to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," he said in response to remarks by the Israeli prime minister in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu had demanded that President Abbas "choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas," saying such an agreement paved the way for Hamas to take control of the West Bank too. » Read more

13 settlers arrested on way to Joseph's Tomb ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Yair Altman - April 28, 2011 - 12:00am Attempts to enter Joseph's Tomb continue despite the death of Ben-Yosef Livnat. Some 40 members of the Hilltop Youth entered the Balata refugee camp in Nablus via agricultural Palestinian land after bypassing police and army checkpoints. Nightly Infiltrations The IDF fired lighting bombs and launched a search with police assistance. Thus far, at least 13 settlers have been detained. » Read more

Fatah, Hamas in unity govt 'understanding' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 28, 2011 - 12:00am Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah reached an "understanding" in Cairo on Wednesday to set up a transitional unity government and hold elections, Hamas and Fatah sources said. Hamas leader Izzat Ar-Rishiq confirmed the initial agreement. Ar-Rishiq said Cairo will call all factions to sign the final reconciliation within the week with the presence of Mahmoud Abbas and Khalid Mash'al. » Read more

US lawmakers say Hamas-Fatah unity gov't threatens aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 28, 2011 - 12:00am Lawmakers in the US responded overnight Wednesday to news that Hamas and Fatah have formed a unity government by threatening to withhold aid to Gaza. US Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), the top Democrat serving on the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, released a statement saying that the deal, which does not require Hamas to recognize Israel, "is a recipe for failure, mixed with violence, leading to disaster." "It is a ghastly mistake that I fear will be paid for in the lives of innocent Israelis," Ackerman said. » Read more

Palestinians launch their revolution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am It’s not yet certain that a political deal announced Wednesday by the long-divided Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions will stick--similar pacts have been proclaimed and then discarded several times in the last four years. But one thing is sure: If Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moves forward with the reconciliation with the Islamic Hamas movement, it will mean he has written off the Obama administration and the peace process it has tried to broker, once and for all. » Read more

Reconciliation Deal by Rival Factions Forces U.S. to Reconsider Aid to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Lee Myers - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The announced reconciliation on Wednesday between Fatah and Hamas, the estranged Palestinian movements, puts the Obama administration in the uncomfortable position of having to reconsider its financial support for the Palestinian Authority, including millions of dollars the United States has spent to train and equip Palestinian security forces, officials and members of Congress said. » Read more

Rattling the Cage: Beware of flying Arabs! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Do you know that Israeli Arabs are getting on crowded buses every day, sitting among Jews, and no one is checking to see if they’re terrorists? Hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs are riding these mixed buses every day, many of them carrying bags and wearing coats, and nobody’s checking their ID, making them go through a metal detector or asking them a single question. If this isn’t an existential threat, I don’t know what is. » Read more

Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, announced Wednesday that they were putting aside years of bitter rivalry to create an interim unity government and hold elections within a year, a surprise move that promised to reshape the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. "It is time for the Palestinian people to reject the corrupt and useless leaders who have used violence and strife to insure their positions. It is also time for Israel to reject the extreme factions of their government." » Read more

Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, announced Wednesday that they were putting aside years of bitter rivalry to create an interim unity government and hold elections within a year, a surprise move that promised to reshape the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. "It is time for the Palestinian people to reject the corrupt and useless leaders who have used violence and strife to insure their positions. It is also time for Israel to reject the extreme factions of their government." » Read more

White House: Palestinian unity gov’t must renounce terror, accept Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Reacting to news that rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas had agreed to a reconciliation deal, the Obama government said any Palestinian unity government must accept Israel's right to exist and renounce terrorism -- conditions that Hamas does not meet. The surprise deal to form an interim government and hold general elections within a year was reached Wednesday in secret negotiations in Cairo between the two sides, according to reports. A formal announcement of the reconciliation reportedly will be made next week. » Read more