Hamas | The American Task Force on Palestine

Pragmatism Between Hamas and Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat
by Jameel Theyabi - (Opinion) May 9, 2011 - 12:00am

The questions currently on the table are the following: Why was the Palestinian reconciliation not secured before the headache and the flu which hit Syria due to the acuteness of the “massive” demonstrations and protests that are ongoing in the Syrian cities and towns?! Did the Syrian authorities’ allusion to the presence of Palestinian “infiltrators” play a role in Hamas’s search for a hosting place other than Damascus?!

Hamas mulling recognition of Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI)
May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Only after a Palestinian state is established will Hamas decide whether to recognize Israel, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said. "No one has the right to demand from the Palestinians … or from Hamas or any other Palestinian organization what will happen after that (the establishment of a Palestinian state.) When we achieve Palestinian statehood we will be free and without occupation … then the country will decide its policy," Israel Radio quoted Mashaal saying.

Hamas agrees to new Egyptian draft for Shalit deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jack Khoury - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

The militant Palestinian group Hamas has agreed to a new draft agreement drawn up by Egypt for a prisoner swap with Israel that would see the release of an Israeli soldier held captive by the group for almost five years, Al Jazeera reported Sunday. Following Hamas' recent reconciliation with rival Palestinian faction Fatah, Egypt has reportedly stepped up efforts to mediate the deal, which would secure the release of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian jailed in Israel.

Gaza militia 'in grab for power'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

They are supposed to function as Hamas's military: an enigmatic commando force carrying out attacks against Israel and protecting the Islamist group's political leadership. But Palestinian leaders, political analysts and human rights groups in Gaza say the powerful Qassam Brigades have grown unwieldy, increasingly defiant of Hamas political leaders and brutally repressive towards public dissent. Instead of focusing on Israel, they say, the Brigades have been trying to consolidate their power in Gaza.

'Hamas signed unity pact from position of weakness'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ilana Curiel - May 7, 2011 - 12:00am

Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon commented Saturday on an interview published by the Wall Street Journal, in which Hamas politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal said his organization will determine the nature of the resistance against Israel – including the use of violence – in coordination with the Fatah. "I've heard plenty of statements like this; particularly those said in English and addressed to western audiences," Ya'alon said.

'Hamas must reform if US to talk with Palestinian gov’t'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

The US won’t deal with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless the Islamist group reforms, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared on Thursday. In the wake of the unity deal signed between Hamas and Fatah on Wednesday, Clinton said Hamas must adopt the Quartet principles of recognizing Israel’s right to exist, renouncing violence and respecting treaties previously signed by the Palestinians.

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron calls on Hamas to recognize Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

British Prime Minister David Cameron during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu called on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist and join peace negotiations. Cameron and Netanyahu met Wednesday night; the Israeli leader traveled to France on Thursday. According to a statement released Wedneday night by Cameron, the two leaders discussed the Fatah-Hamas unity deal.

After deal, Hamas says activists held in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Tom Perry - May 5, 2011 - 12:00am

Six Hamas sympathisers have been detained by Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank since rival groups concluded a deal aimed at reconciliation, a Hamas source said on Thursday. The detentions in the Hebron and Nablus area underline the challenges facing implementation of the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah, which is headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas chief criticizes way bin Laden killed, buried
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 5, 2011 - 12:00am

Khalid Mash'al, head of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, on Thursday criticized the method used by US special forces to kill Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his "burial at sea." Mash'al called on the West to "recognize the atrocity of the American raid and the burial of (bin Laden's body) at sea," in remarks to AFP in the Egyptian capital. "Arabs and Muslims are human beings and the West should treat them as such, regardless of whether they are partisans or opponents of Osama bin Laden."

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