Hamas commander in solitary confinement goes on huger strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 12, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Hamas commander who received the longest sentence from an Israeli court started a hunger strike Thursday, protesting against his solitary confinement, local sources said. Abdullah Al-Barghouti, 41, told his lawyer about the strike and said he will end it when the Israeli Prison Service returns him to the regular rooms, said a statement by the Palestinian Prisoner's Club. Al-Barghouti, head of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank, also wanted his family members who lives in Jordan, to be granted permission to visit him regularly.

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Israel expels 'Palestinian collaborator' back to Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Independent
by Catrina Stewart - April 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Israel deported a Palestinian man to Gaza even though he faced almost certain execution there if caught by Hamas, which has charged him with spying for Israel, the man's lawyer said. Details of the case emerged just days after Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza, hanged three Palestinian men, one of whom had been convicted of the identical charge – collaboration with Israel.

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Gaza Executions: Hamas Condemned Over ‘Inhuman Punishment’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Harriet Sherwood - April 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Human rights groups have condemned the execution by the Hamas government in Gaza of three prisoners at the weekend, and are demanding that the death sentence of a fourth be commuted. The three men, identified only by their initials, were hanged on Saturday at a Hamas security base in Gaza City. The cases were unrelated: WJ, 27, had been convicted of treason by collaborating with Israel; MB, 49, had been convicted of murder; and MA, 20, had been convicted of abducting, raping and killing a child.

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Fatah: Govt reshuffle talks delayed until Abbas tour ends
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 9, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Consultations over an expected reshuffle in the Palestinian Authority are to be delayed until President Abbas finishes as international tour due to start Monday, a senior Fatah official said. Azzam al-Ahmad told Voice of Palestine radio that rumors about a disagreement between Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad over a reshuffle were baseless.

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Is it Finally Time for Dialogue Between the US and Hamas?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Khaled Elgindy - (Analysis) April 9, 2012 - 12:00am

This week’s visit to Washington by members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, demonstrated just how much has changed in US-Arab relations in the wake of the Arab uprisings. The high-profile Egyptian delegation coincides with visits by representatives of other Islamist parties from Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Libya also in town this week for various meetings and conferences.

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Hamas chief vows to kidnap more Israeli soldiers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 7, 2012 - 12:00am

DOHA, Qatar — The leader of the Islamist militant group Hamas has vowed to kidnap more Israeli soldiers to pressure the Jewish state to release Palestinian prisoners. The comments from Khaled Mashaal come after the deal Hamas struck last year with Israel to swap an Israeli soldier held by Hamas for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many jailed for helping carry out bombings.

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Hamas Executes 3 Palestinians in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram - April 7, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA — The Islamic group Hamas that controls Gaza executed three Palestinians on Saturday, one who was convicted of collaborating with Israel and two others who had been found guilty of murder, according to a statement from the Hamas Interior Ministry. The statement said the three men were hanged at a security site in Gaza City. It did not give any details about their identities.

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Where’s the outcry over Palestinian censorship?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Keyes - (Opinion) April 5, 2012 - 12:00am

A university lecturer and single mother of two, Ismat Abdul-Khaleq, was arrested in the West Bank last week for criticizing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Facebook. Perhaps this is what Abbas meant when he said during a recent interview with al-Jazeera that his party, Fatah, was a political and ideological copy of the terrorist group Hamas. His words: “In all honesty, there are no disagreements between us.”

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Hamas to Elect New Leadership for the Militant Palestinian Group This Month
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An official from the militant Hamas group that rules Gaza says the Islamic Palestinian movement will start choosing its secretive, decision-making council and its administrative leadership this week. The official said on Wednesday that the process should be completed by the end of the month. All Hamas members can vote for the Shura Council, which in turn elects the administrative leadership, known as the politburo. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.

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Mishal sole candidate for Hamas presidency –sources
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
April 4, 2012 - 12:00am

Occupied Jerusalem, Asharq Al-Awsat – A well-informed source within the Hamas movement informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the internal elections for the Hamas Shura Council and Political Bureau are expected to take place within the next two weeks. The source revealed that in the first phase, members of local Consultative Councils are selected, who in turn vote for the Hamas Shura Council, which ultimately elects the movement’s administrative leadership, the Hamas Political Bureau.

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