May 11th

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

May 10th

AN ISRAELI VIEW Hamas has not turned the corner on Israel and violence ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Opinion) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am The signing of the Fateh-Hamas reconciliation agreement last week provided us with a host of policy statements by Hamas leaders that could conceivably shed light on the likelihood of the agreement actually reaching fruition. Some may be tempted to see in them an indication of creeping moderation. But overall, the circumstances point to negative prospects. » Read more

A PALESTINIAN VIEW An opportunity for Hamas moderation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Mkhaimar Abu Sada - (Opinion) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am The signing of the reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas can be considered a golden opportunity for the Palestinian people and their cause. Four years have passed since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after violent clashes with its rival Fateh. Four years of political split and two governments, one led by Fateh in the West Bank and the other one led by Hamas in Gaza. Four years of incitement, hatred, imprisonment and torture of political opponents. » Read more

A PALESTINIAN VIEW Dialogue fosters moderation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am While examining the possible consequences of the reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas, it is important to understand that Hamas is like any other political entity: it includes within its ranks different tendencies. These, in turn, can be developed or stunted, creating moderation or radicalization. » Read more

Asharq Al-Awsat talks to Hamas's Izzat al-Rishq ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat by Sawsan Abu-Husain - (Interview) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- According to Dr. Izzat al-Rishq, member of the Hamas Movement's Political Bureau, the Palestinian factions that signed the Cairo agreement are in continuous meetings to complete the discussion of all issues as soon as possible. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he added that many meetings were held in Cairo both before and after the signing in order to take practical steps on the ground to show the Palestinian people that the agreement is not just ink on paper but rather a continuous action to restore the legitimate Palestinian rights. » 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

For Israel’s Arabs, sense of disenfranchisement as Israel marks 63rd birthday ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) by Dina Kraft - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am In an elegant limestone building in a Jerusalem neighborhood that before 1948 was home to the city’s Palestinian elite, a group of Jewish and Arab Israeli academics recently tried to untangle one of Israel’s most complex and charged questions: the status of its Arab minority. » Read more