Palestinian Committee Suspends Work as Demands Neglected ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 8, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian committee pushing for public freedom suspended its work Wednesday because rival Hamas and Fatah parties did not consider its recommendations, sources said. The committee will soon write to the Palestinian president and Fatah head, Mahmoud Abbas, and all the other Palestinian factions to inform them of its decision, the sources told Xinhua. » Read more

2 Brothers Shot Dead in Central Nablus ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 8, 2012 - 1:00am NABLUS (Ma’an) – Two Palestinian men were shot dead Wednesday after unidentified gunman opened fire in a store on Amman Street in Nablus in the northern West Bank. Locals said a gunman opened fire from point-blank range at the head of Munadil Nasasra, 36. The victim was evacuated to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus where medics announced his death shortly after he arrived. His brother, Muhammad Nasasra, 18, suffered critical injuries to the abdomen and legs. Medics pronounced him dead later Wednesday. Both victims were from the village of Beit Furik east of Nablus. » Read more

Who is Hamas? 5 Questions About the Palestinian Militant Group ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor by Arthur Bright - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am 1. What are the origins of Hamas? Hamas emerged as the Palestinian wing of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after the outbreak of the first intifada in 1987 and is the largest Palestinian militant organization, as Kristen Chick wrote in a 2009 Monitor briefing. An Arabic word that means zeal or enthusiasm, "Hamas" is also an acronym for the group's official Arabic name, the Islamic Resistance Movement. » Read more

Israel’s National Photo Collection Being Released For Free Use ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Batsheva Sobelman - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am REPORTING FROM JERUSALEM -- The Israeli government is gradually releasing its National Photo Collection from copyright restrictions. It's an online treasure trove of 150,000 photographs compiled and scanned from around half a million pictures and put on a searchable website in honor of Israel's jubilee year in 1998. » Read more

Israeli Court Grants Reprieve to Abandoned Palestinian Village ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Joel Greenberg - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — A Jerusalem court has ruled against plans to build a luxury housing development on the remains of a Palestinian village abandoned in the 1948 war that followed the establishment of Israel. The court battle was seen as a test case for preservation of Palestinian heritage in Israel, where remains of Arab villages whose residents either fled or were expelled in the fighting have largely vanished under modern buildings, parks and planted forests. » Read more

EU: No Change in Palestinian Aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am BRUSSELS, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- The European Union says the Palestinian Authority's new Fatah-Hamas unity government will not change the EU's ongoing financial assistance to Palestinians. Hamas is officially considered a terrorist group by the European Union but it gained some recognition for freeing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a recent prisoner swap with Israel, the EUobserver reported. » Read more

State Department Plays Down Warnings about Hamas-Fatah Announcement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Fox News February 7, 2012 - 1:00am The State Department played down warnings Tuesday over the latest step toward a unity government between Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah, saying "the fundamentals have not changed" despite claims that the deal imperils the already anemic peace process. Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Tuesday with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and they discussed how "it's not particularly clear what this agreement will change." » Read more

Is Palestinian Handshake Much Ado About Nothing? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National by Hugh Naylor - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM // After Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government and hold elections, you would think their rapprochement would be cause for optimism among Palestinians. But just ask Mohammed Youssef. He flatly dismissed Monday's accord as nothing more than a ruse between Fatah's chairman and the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and outgoing Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to quell public anger over the slow pace of their reconciliation. » Read more

Legal Controversy on Abbas’ Posts Grows After Doha Delaration ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Saud Abu Ramadan, Emad Drimly - February 8, 2012 - 1:00am RAMALLAH, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- A legal controversy over the posts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rose on Tuesday, one day after he agreed in Qatar with Islamic Hamas movement's chief Khaled Meshaal that Abbas will form and lead a unified transitional government. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that if Abbas as president of the Palestinian National Authority ( PNA) also becomes the prime minister of the Palestinian government, "there would be doubts on whether he will be able to run in the upcoming presidential elections or not." » Read more

Fatah Official: Abbas Can Head Government ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency February 8, 2012 - 1:00am BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas can appoint himself as head of the next government, a Fatah official said Wednesday, dismissing criticism that the move to bolster unity had no standing in Palestinian law. Azzam Ahmad said no law prevented Abbas from heading the government. "I advise those who reject this to read the laws again; we are a presidential system, not parliamentary." The Doha agreement signed Monday by Abbas and Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal has been welcomed and criticized, with some saying the president had overstepped the parliament's authority. » Read more