Israel stripped 140,000 Palestinians of residency rights, document reveals ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by Harriet Sherwood - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am Israel stripped thousands of Palestinians of their right to live in the West Bank over a 27-year period, forcing most of them into permanent exile abroad, a document obtained under freedom of information laws has disclosed. Around 140,000 Palestinians who left to study or work had their residency rights revoked between 1967 and 1994. » Read more

PA-Israel joint security may be first victim of Fatah-Hamas pact ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - May 11, 2011 - 12:00am The security agencies of the Palestinian Authority have been praised for fostering stability and prosperity by helping dismantle the West Bank's armed militias and networks of Hamas fighters. But an element to their success - coordination with Israel's security establishment - may be in jeopardy after Fatah, the West Bank's dominant Palestinian faction, and Hamas agreed to a deal designed to lead to a unity government. » Read more

World watches to see how far Hamas will compromise in peace with Fatah ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Jonathan Cook - May 10, 2011 - 12:00am The landmark reconciliation deal reached last week by the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas required compromises on both sides, but none more so than by the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip. Reflecting on the deal that brought their four-year rift to an end, Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based leader of Hamas, said afterward that his side had conceded autonomy on "how to manage the resistance". The use of violence - along with negotiations with Israel, domestic governance and foreign affairs - will now require Fatah's approval, Mr Meshaal told The Wall Street Journal. » Read more

Pragmatism Between Hamas and Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by Jameel Theyabi - (Opinion) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am The questions currently on the table are the following: Why was the Palestinian reconciliation not secured before the headache and the flu which hit Syria due to the acuteness of the “massive” demonstrations and protests that are ongoing in the Syrian cities and towns?! Did the Syrian authorities’ allusion to the presence of Palestinian “infiltrators” play a role in Hamas’s search for a hosting place other than Damascus?! » Read more

The wisdom of “conspicuous silence” ATFP World Press Roundup Article from NOW Lebanon by Hussein Ibish - (Blog) May 10, 2011 - 12:00am On numerous occasions during the ongoing turmoil in the Arab World, I’ve been accused by friend and foe alike of engaging in “conspicuous silence.” Commentators, particularly in the age of the internet and cable television, are expected by news organizations and consumers to provide instant analysis on anything and everything. But sometimes the only honest and intelligent thing to say is very little, or even nothing. » Read more