Meshaal's cordial visit to Jordan helps open 'new page' in relations
Media Mention of Hussein Ibish In The National - January 30, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM // The leaders of Hamas have never been known for globetrotting or an appetite for diplomatic fanfare. They were confined to the Gaza Strip, unable to leave because of the Israeli blockade of the coastal enclave. Or, if they were among the clutch of senior Hamas officials based in Damascus, they maintained a low profile to avoid testing the patience and straining the hospitality of their Syrian hosts. Those days are gone.

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Hamas Gaza leader heads for Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - January 30, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, left on Monday for a tour of Iran and Gulf states, continuing a diplomatic drive to realign the Palestinian Islamist movement after a year of political change in the Arab world. Non-Arab Iran, along with its Arab ally Syria, have been principal backers of Hamas. Iran has supplied funds and - according to Israel - weapons to use against the Jewish state.

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Hamas' next host country after Syria, Jordan or Qatar?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan - January 30, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The historic visit of Islamic Hamas movement supreme leader Khaled Meshaal on Sunday to Jordan, in the company of Qatar's prince, carries huge significance to the changing Arab world. Observers are speculating whether Hamas would move its headquarters from Syria's Damascus to another Arab capital. Earlier this week, Hamas leaders denied such allegations. However, Analysts say the reality on the ground shows otherwise.

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Hamas Leader Takes Rare Trip to Jordan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Stephen Farrell - January 29, 2012 - 1:00am

AMMAN, Jordan — Khaled Meshal, the leader of Hamas, made a rare and pointedly low-key visit to Jordan on Sunday, days after Hamas officials signaled that he had effectively abandoned the group’s base in Damascus, the Syrian capital. Mr. Meshal and a delegation from Hamas’s political bureau, including his deputy, Mousa Abu Marzook, arrived in Amman with the crown prince of Qatar, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and met with the king of Jordan, Abdullah II.

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Khaled Mashaal’s Next Career Move
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Mohammed Najib - (Opinion) January 29, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH -- The announcement by Khaled Mashaal, that he plans to quit his job as the powerful chief of Hamas’ political bureau has led to a flurry of speculation about why he acting? Whether the promise to step down if for real? If so, who will replace him?

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Hamas in Deep Trouble
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Guy Bechor - (Opinion) January 27, 2012 - 1:00am

Nothing stopped Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, from making Ahmadinejad-style declarations that Israel’s days are numbered and calling for the establishment of an Arab Jihad army for Palestine’s liberation. Yet behind the pretentious slogans lies a grim reality for Hamas that can no longer be hidden.

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Hamas quietly quits Syria as violence continues
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - January 27, 2012 - 1:00am

The leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, has effectively abandoned his headquarters in the Syrian capital, Damascus, diplomatic and intelligence sources said on Friday. "Meshaal is not staying in Syria as he used to do. He is almost out all the time," said a diplomat in the region who spoke on condition on anonymity. A regional intelligence source, who also did not wish to be identified, said: "He's not going back to Syria. That's the decision he's made. There's still a Hamas presence there, but it's insignificant."

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Hamas wants a ‘branch’ in Jordan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Taylor Luck - January 26, 2012 - 1:00am

AMMAN — Hamas chief Khaled Mishaal is set to make a long-anticipated official visit to Jordan next week, marking a turnaround in relations between Amman and the Palestinian resistance movement. His Majesty King Abdullah will receive Mishaal next week in what will mark the first official visit by the Hamas leader to the Kingdom in over a decade, according to Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Rakan Majali.

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"We will negotiate with Hamas if they halt terror"
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
January 24, 2012 - 1:00am

Israel will negotiate with a Palestinian unity government if Hamas agrees to Quartet conditions and dismantles its terror infrastructure, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview with Israel Radio Tuesday. "The continuation of the peace process is in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians and the world," Barak said. "If Hamas adopts the Quartet's conditions and dismantles its terror infrastructure, we will negotiate with them."

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Israel orders 6 months jail without charge for PLC speaker
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 24, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- An Israeli military court on Tuesday ordered the detention of Palestinian parliamentary speaker Aziz Dweik for six months without charge. Dweik, who was seized by Israeli forces at a Ramallah checkpoint on Thursday, heads the Palestinian Legislative Council. His lawyer Fadi Qawasmi said Ofer military court gave the administrative detention order early Tuesday, after a Sunday hearing was postponed.

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