February 13th

Settlers: Israel drafts deal to delay evacuating rogue settlement, despite eviction order ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 13, 2012 - 1:00am JERUSALEM — Israeli settlers from an unauthorized West Bank outpost said Monday they reached a deal with the country’s government to allow them to stay put for two more years, despite Israeli Supreme Court orders to evacuate them next month. The Migron settlement, built in 2001 on what authorities say is private Palestinian land, is seen as a test case for the Israeli government’s resolve — or lack thereof — concerning unauthorized settlement outposts. » Read more

Hamas police bans pro-Syria opposition rally in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua February 12, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Hamas police on Sunday prevented dozens of activists from demonstrating in solidarity with Syrian people in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said. The policemen peacefully stopped the protest shortly after it started in front of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza city. The demonstrators, nearly 30 of them, waved Palestinian and Syrian flags, with banners supporting the Syrian anti-government protest, before they left. » Read more

Hamas' Haniyeh: Armed resistance is the only way to fight Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press February 13, 2012 - 1:00am The only path in the Palestinian struggle against Israel is the path of armed resistance, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said during a visit to Iran on Monday, adding that the "gun is our only response to Zionist regime." Haniyeh's comments came following recent reports of a change in Hamas' declared strategy in the fight against Israel, with some of the group's officials indicating that Hamas was headed toward a path of nonviolent resistance. » Read more

Iran urges Hamas to continue fight against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Nasser Karimi - February 12, 2012 - 1:00am TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's leaders urged the Hamas prime minister of Gaza to continue the Islamic militant group's resistance against Israel and promised support, state TV reported on Sunday. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh that Iran would always stand by the Palestinian "resistance" against Israel and warned him against "compromisers." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his part said it was Iran's "duty" to stand by the Palestinians. » Read more

Hamas Premier Visits Iran in Sign of Strong Relations ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Fares Akram, Isabel Kershner - February 10, 2012 - 1:00am GAZA — Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, arrived in Iran on Friday for a visit that suggested that relations between Hamas and Iran remained good despite reports of tensions over Syria. » Read more

Palestinian unity deal a mistake: Gaza Hamas leader ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) February 12, 2012 - 1:00am CAIRO — Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahar slammed a Palestinian unity deal as a "mistake" that has thrown the Islamist movement into crisis, in an interview with Egypt's official MENA agency published on Sunday. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal signed an agreement with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas earlier this month placing Abbas at the head of an interim government charged with organising elections later this year. The decision to have Abbas head the government "is a mistake," Zahar told MENA. "No one inside the Hamas movement was consulted." » Read more

February 10th

The Psychological Dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post by Alon Ben-Meir - (Opinion) February 9, 2012 - 1:00am On the surface, the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process seems illogical and unsettling. » Read more

‘Anonymous’ Hacker Group Threatens ‘Reign of Terror’ Against Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Oded Yaron - February 10, 2012 - 1:00am The hacker group “Anonymous” released a video Friday threatening to begin a ‘reign of terror’ against Israel, in the latest round of cyber warfare between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli hackers. The video, which was posted on YouTube in the early hours of the morning, blamed Israel for committing 'crimes against humanity,' and criticizing it for its treatment of Palestinians. Anonymous hackers » Read more

We must catch up ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yusef Harb - (Interview) February 6, 2012 - 1:00am bitterlemons: How do you think the "Arab spring" is affecting the average Palestinian? Harb: The Arab spring has its causes and is a natural response to the political and social regimes that have been in power in the Arab states for the last 50 years. Palestinian society, however, has a clear distinction from the regimes in the Arab world. It is led by a new, modern regime, one created in 1994 through the Oslo agreement and one that protects the capabilities of the Palestinian people. » Read more

The real domino effect ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) February 6, 2012 - 1:00am Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has been full of surprises in the last couple of months. First came his announcement that the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations should be given a chance. Then came the reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas, which was followed by Meshaal's confirmation that he would not run for another term as director of Hamas' political bureau. And last but not least, he and his family left Syria and now he is looking for a new shelter for Hamas' headquarters. » Read more