Smugglers’ tunnels are Hamas’ lifeblood
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Salon.com
by Matthew Duss - (Opinion) February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The first things you notice are the trucks, entering Rafah’s dusty main thoroughfare from small side streets, flatbeds fully loaded and covered. Then there are the young boys packed three to a motorbike, darting heedlessly in between the rumbling behemoths, clutching shovels. As you get closer, you see the enormous mounds of earth and rubble, some 10 feet high and more, set amid acres of makeshift canopies, tents and metal garages, which serve as loading docks for Rafah’s booming tunnel trade.

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Egypt increases power supply to Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Egypt increased its energy supply to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, director of the Hamas-run energy authority told Ma'an, adding that more is required to solve the crisis. "In light of the serious power shortage in the Gaza Strip, the additional five Megawatts have not resulted in a major improvement, and so further steps from Egypt would be necessary," Abu al-Amreen said on Monday. Egypt increased its power supply to the Gaza Strip from 17 to 22 megawatts in the first stage of an agreement reached last Thursday with Gaza's energy authority.

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Faction leaders blame Hamas for impasse in unity govt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 27, 2012 - 1:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Several Palestinian faction leaders on Sunday blamed internal disagreement within Hamas for the failure to announce a unity government. "Hamas says a trend within the movement is reluctant about Abbas heading the new government for constitutional rather than political reasons," Palestinian Popular Struggle Front member Ahmad Majdalani said. This internal division, which cites a constitutional excuse, is a major obstacle, he added.

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Cairo speech a symbol of Hamas's split with Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Bradley Hope, Hugh Naylor - February 26, 2012 - 1:00am

Hamas's Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, symbolically chose Cairo's Al Azhar Mosque, a spiritual and intellectual centre for global Islam, to declare Hamas had formally split with Syria, a former ally and once home to the Palestinian group's headquarters in exile. Friday's declaration by Mr Haniyeh to thousands of Islamist supporters in the Egyptian capital, condemning Syria's bloody bid to quash an uprising against President Bashar Al Assad is perhaps the strongest indication of the group's realignment in a revolutionary Middle East.

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AP Interview: Hamas out of Syria, leader says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - (Interview) February 26, 2012 - 1:00am

CAIRO — The Hamas leadership has left its longtime base in Syria because of the regime's crackdown on opponents there, the No. 2 in the Islamic militant movement said in an interview Sunday at his new home on the outskirts of Cairo. Moussa Abu Marzouk also told The Associated Press that a unity deal between Hamas and its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, faces steep obstacles despite optimistic assessments made by both sides in public.

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Engage Hamas’ moderates and test their newfound flexibility
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Michael Broning - (Opinion) February 24, 2012 - 1:00am

In the wake of revolutionary change in the Middle East, the forces of political Islam have scored one electoral victory after another. As the West grapples with the rapid rise of moderate Islamists in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, the issue of Hamas’ role in the Palestinian territories looms large. The signing of a new unity deal between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ secular Fatah party earlier this month has heightened an unprecedented struggle within Hamas over its future course as an Islamist movement. How the West responds could very well influence the outcome.

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Hamas Denies Involvement in Egypt’s Unrest
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 24, 2012 - 1:00am

CAIRO, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haneya denied that the Islamic movement had involved in Egypt's unrest last year, as claimed by Egyptian former Interior Minister Habib Adly, state media reported Thursday. In the final day of ex-President Hosni Mubarak's trial, Adly blamed elements from Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and Islamic Hamas movement for sending infiltrators to break the line of peaceful protests, creating chaos and sabotaging.

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Gaza's Hamas PM voices support for Syria protests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - February 24, 2012 - 1:00am

CAIRO — The Hamas prime minister of Gaza on Friday expressed support for Syrian protesters seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad, the first time a senior Hamas leader has publicly rebuked the group's longtime patron. Ismail Haniyeh said after Friday prayers at Egypt's Al-Azhar Mosque that Hamas commends "the brave Syrian people that are moving toward democracy and reform."

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Hamas, Egypt strike deal to end energy crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 23, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities and Hamas officials reached an agreement on Thursday to end the energy crisis in the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu said a deal had been reached after "intensive negotiations" between Gaza prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, Egyptian officials, and the Islamic Development Bank. The deal included three stages, the Hamas official said. The first stipulates that Egyptian companies pump fuel directly to Gaza under the terms of contracts signed with firms.

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Hamas suspends decision to tax Gaza imports
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 22, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Public and local criticism pushed Gaza's Hamas government to suspend a decision to tax particular goods that merchants import through Israel. The critics were popular societies, business associations and rights group. Their rejection stemmed from the legality of the taxes in Gaza's exceptional circumstances, where an Israeli blockade has taken toll on almost all sectors of the society.

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