A honeymoon that wasn’t
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Economist
(Analysis) September 29, 2012 - 12:00am

ABOVE Gaza’s parliament hangs a tableau of two smiling Islamist leaders. Muhammad Morsi, the new president of Egypt, and Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the neighbouring Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, the Palestinians’ dominant Islamist movement. The two men are raising their hands together, hailing a regional dawn against a backdrop of Cairo’s pyramids. The billboard’s message is that the new Egypt, under a Muslim Brother, recognises Hamas, originally a Brotherhood branch, as its new ally—and as the legitimate authority in Palestine.

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Poll: 72 percent plan to vote in October's local elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 29, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A new poll shows 72 percent of Palestinians plan to vote in elections taking place in three weeks, but supporters of Hamas are much less likely to participate in the vote, which is being boycotted by the party. In a poll published on Saturday by the Arab World for Research & Development, 85 percent said they support holding local elections, which will take place on Oct. 20 in the West Bank only.

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Hamas says Abbas' call for UN recognition of non-member state "solo "
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
September 28, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Thursday Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' bid to the United Nations for a non-member Palestinian state is "a solo action." Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in a press statement emailed to reporters that Abbas' move to ask for the UN recognition of a Palestinian state "wasn't agreed upon or consulted by the entire Palestinians."

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Gaza official: Egypt pledged to ease Rafah travel in days
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 27, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Egypt has informed Palestinian officials that it will introduce measures to ease travel through the Gaza Strip's Rafah crossing in the coming days, a crossings official said Thursday. Gaza crossing director Maher Abu Sabha said they understand the crossing will be opened on Fridays, the weekend day it is usually shut. Everyday working hours, currently from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will also be increased, Abu Sabha said. The number of passengers permitted to travel each day will be raised to 1,500, he added.

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Hamas Bans Israeli Fruit Imports Into 'Self-Sufficient' Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Calcalist
by Doron Peskin - September 27, 2012 - 12:00am

The Agriculture Ministry in the Hamas government announced over the weekend a prohibition on the import of fruits from Israel to the Gaza Strip, except for bananas and apples. Tahsin al-Saqa, manager of marketing in the Agriculture Ministry in Gaza, explained that the prohibition comes from the desire to protect local production. Saqa explained that the Strip has achieved self-sufficiency in various sectors, including grapes, citrus fruits, guavas, and more, and that preference is thus given to local farmers. 

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Boy's death ignites rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - September 26, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - At least 500 protesters in the Gaza Strip have called for the overthrow of the ruling Islamist Hamas group in a rare demonstration triggered by the death of a three-year-old boy in a fire during a power outage.

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Abu-Marzuq most likely to head Hamas - Sources
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Saleh Al-Naami - September 26, 2012 - 12:00am

  Gaza, Asharq Al-Awsat- with Hamas officially announcing that Khalid Mishal, head of its Political Bureau, will not run again for a new term, sources in the Movement said that they expect to a large extent that his successor would be from the leaders abroad.

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Hamas Leader Meshaal's Exit Sparks Reports of Internal Strife
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Hayat
by Tamer Samadi, Mohammad Younes - September 26, 2012 - 12:00am

Informed sources in the Hamas movement said the head of the movement’s political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, was discontent with accusations made against him "from within the closed leadership rooms in the Gaza Strip," particularly those made by two leaders, Mahmoud el-Zahar and Khalil al-Hayya. The sources described these accusations as "flawed, shameful and made against a man who served the movement for many years.”

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Welcome to 'Fortress Gaza,' Home of the Newly Radicalized Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Atlantic
by Zvika Krieger - (Opinion) September 25, 2012 - 12:00am

Top officials in Hamas have confirmed this week that the group's leader, Khaled Mishaal, has decided to resign his post. Hamas official Salah al-Bardawil tried to dismiss any suspicions of internal discord: "He has decided to retire to make room for the younger members." But Mishaal's decision belies significant shifts within the organization.

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Hamas extortion ring uncovered in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
September 24, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police arrested Sunday four Jewish men accused of cooperating in the kidnapping of an Eritrean migrant in an extortion ring which leads to Hamas and Sinai-based militants.

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