Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's murky world
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Brian Whitaker - (Opinion) February 17, 2010 - 1:00am

Murder is a serious matter but amid tales of forged passports, not to mention the suspects' use of wigs and glasses for disguise, there's more than a touch of the Hollywood thriller about Mahmoud al-Mabhouh's killing. Already fingers are being pointed at the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad – and not without reason. Israel had an obvious motive (Mabhouh was a senior Hamas figure wanted by Israel but living out of reach in Syria) as well as the form (numerous assassinations and other exploits in various countries, such as the arrest of Mordechai Vanunu).

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Hamas official accused of helping Mossad hit squad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Ian Black, Kate Connolly, Paul Lewis - February 17, 2010 - 1:00am

A key security operative of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas was under arrest in Syria tonight on suspicion of having helped an alleged Israeli hit squad identify Mahmoud al-Mabhouh before he was assassinated in Dubai, the Guardian has learned. Palestinian sources in the Gulf confirmed Nahro Massoud, a Hamas security official, was in detention and under interrogation in Damascus in connection with the 19 January killing, which is now widely assumed to have been mounted by Israel's Mossad secret intelligence service.

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Zahhar: Progress on Hamas-Fatah reconciliation imminent
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 16, 2010 - 1:00am

A Palestinian reconciliation agreement could be signed within a few days under Egyptian supervision, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Az-Zahhar announced Monday night. Following a celebration of educational institutions in Gaza City, Zahhar told reporters, "It is obvious that Egypt understands ... that the Egyptian reconciliation document needs amendment. I expect the issue to be reconsidered and a signing to be secured."

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Most Hamas police applicants only want jobs
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ben Hubbard - February 16, 2010 - 1:00am

Take this for a measure of Gaza's economic woes: When the territory's Hamas rulers announced plans to hire about 1,000 new policemen, 15,000 applied. Only a few of those reporting for fitness tests one recent afternoon expressed an interest in police work or said they belonged to the Islamic militant group. Most just wanted a job. Plagued by poverty for decades, Gaza's private sector has been all but wiped out by nearly four years of closed borders and last year's devastating Israeli offensive. In the meantime, Hamas has solidified its grip, making it Gaza's second largest employer.

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PA says won't reveal identity of Dubai assassin suspects
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - February 16, 2010 - 1:00am

The arrest of two Palestinians suspected of being involved in the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai, as well as the publication of video clips depicting the assassins, has reignited the finger pointing between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas claimed Tuesday that the two arrested men, who served in the Palestinian security forces, are proof that the Palestinian Authority played a role in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh on January 20. The PA denied the allegations. "If they want, Hamas can reveal the identity of the suspects," challenged the PA.

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Hamas Detains U.K. Journalist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
February 15, 2010 - 1:00am

A British freelance journalist in Gaza will be held for 15 days, Hamas officials said Monday, in an unprecedented step against a foreign reporter since the Islamic militants seized control of Gaza in 2007. Documentary filmmaker Paul Martin was detained Sunday at a Gaza courthouse where he was to testify on behalf of a defendant accused of collaborating with Israel, said Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman Ehab Ghussein.

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Police release photos of 11 wanted for Hamas killing, hint at Israel involvement [Updated]
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Borzou Daragahi - (Blog) February 15, 2010 - 1:00am

Dubai police have released the names and passport photos from the European identity papers of 11 suspects in the killing of a senior Hamas official last month. According to a report Monday on the website of Al Jazeera International, Dubai police also said two Palestinians had been arrested in the Jan. 20 murder of Mahmoud Mabhouh, a senior figure within the militant group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.

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Muslim firebrands challenge Hamas rule in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Karin Laub - February 14, 2010 - 1:00am

They preach global jihad, or holy war, adhere to an ultraconservative form of Islam and are becoming a headache even for Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. Jihadi Salafis, as they are known, have organized into small, shadowy armed groups that have clashed with Hamas forces and fired rockets at Israel in defiance of Hamas' informal truce.

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Hamas boycotts meeting over municipal elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 12, 2010 - 1:00am

No members of the Hamas party attended the Thursday meeting of PLO factions alongside the elections committee to prepare for a June municipal vote across the West Bank and Gaza, Fatah General Elections Commissioner Muhammad Al-Madani said. Though Hamas is not part of the PLO, the party was invited to the meeting, Al-Madani said, to prepare for elections called by the Ramallah-based caretaker government on 2 February. The Palestinian Authority Cabinet, under appointed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, set the elections date for 17 July 2010.

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Fatah urges Hamas to sign reconciliation file before AL summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 12, 2010 - 1:00am

A high-ranking official of Palestinian Fatah movement Thursday in Egypt urged Hamas to sign the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation file before the yearly Arab summit next month. Nabil Shaath, a member of the Fatah central committee, made the remarks in a statement carried by the state-run MENA news agency. "The movement (Fatah) will not hold any discussions with Hamas unless Hamas accepts an Egyptian-sponsored paper on inter- Palestinian reconciliation," Shaath said in the statement.

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