Behind an Israeli Strike in Gaza, Help from Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Time
by Karl Vick - November 10, 2010 - 1:00am

The Nov. 3 assassination of Mohammad Namnam looked pretty much exactly like the fiery deaths of a lot of other Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip over the years. He was making his way in broad daylight through the tattered streets of Gaza City when his sedan turned into a fireball. The missile arrived from an Israeli helicopter hovering so far away that onlookers at first thought the explosion was a car bomb.

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PA: Shin Bet officers met with top Hamas officials 'over coffee'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - November 9, 2010 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority complained to Israel recently that Shin Bet officers were in contact with high-level Hamas members around Jenin, senior Palestinian sources told Haaretz. The Palestinian sources said that 10 days ago a number of low ranking Shin Bet officers met with senior figures of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

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Hamas nixes Arafat commemoration in Gaza Strip
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - November 8, 2010 - 1:00am

As it has every year since taking control of the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, on Monday Hamas announced its decision to ban Fatah supporters from holding a rally in the Gaza Strip to mark the anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death. Zakariya al-Agha, member of the Fatah Central Committee, said the Hamas government had informed him formally of the decision to ban the rally, which was scheduled to be held on November 11. He said the rally, which had been planned by Fatah, was supposed to be held in Gaza City’s Katibeh Square.

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Unity hinges on security forces deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
November 5, 2010 - 12:00am

Officials commenting on the latest unity rumors say the issue of a re-hauled security service amalgamating the West Bank and Gaza units remains the final stumbling block to inter-party reconciliation. Representative of independent officials seeking unity Yaser Al-Wadieyah said he expected Hamas and Fatah officials in Damascus to discuss the final arrangements of the security issue, saying all other files were all but resolved.

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UN Gaza leaders given submachine guns for protection 'against Hamas'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - November 5, 2010 - 12:00am

The defense establishment has taken the unusual step of granting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency approval to take four weapons into Gaza. The weapons, submachine guns, are to serve the security detail guarding the heads of the agency in Gaza. The request to bring in the weapons was made three years ago and approved last week. The director of UNRWA's activities in Gaza, John Ging, said on his website that his life is in constant danger and he needs more suitable protection than the handguns his bodyguards had been carrying.

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In Gaza, rise of Hamas military wing complicates reconciliation with Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Ahram
by Kristen Chick - November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Abu Khaled has been a member of Hamas's military wing for 11 years and he looks the part. His thick beard, black clothes, and serious face bear witness to his rise through the ranks to become one of the leaders of the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, near Israel's border. But at this moment, as he softly sings along with popular Arabic pop singer Elissa in a deserted Gaza restaurant, it's hard to believe he fought in the fierce 2007 battle that expelled Fatah, Hamas's secular rival, from Gaza.

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Hamas accuses Abbas of trying to fail reconciliation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
November 4, 2010 - 12:00am

Islamic Hamas movement accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday of trying to hinder national reconciliation. The accusation followed Abbas' remarks that security control in the Palestinian territories can not be shared with Hamas. Abbas statements "meant to ruin Damascus meeting" next week, in which Hamas and Abbas' Fatah party will discuss inter- reconciliation, especially the security issue, Hamas Spokesman Ayman Taha told Xinhua.

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Poll: Gazans disappointed with Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Roee Nahmias - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

A recent poll conducted in Gaza has revealed a sharp drop in support for Hamas, but the ruling Islamist movement is preventing the survey's publication, the state-run Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported Wednesday. A random survey of about 1,000 Gazans revealed a sharp decrease in support for the activities of Hamas' security services and indicated dissatisfaction with the performance of the Hamas government's offices and the Palestinian factions.

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Israel Attack Kills a Top Militant in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Fares Akram - November 3, 2010 - 12:00am

A Palestinian leader of an Islamic extremist group inspired by Al Qaeda was killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military. The car in which the militant was traveling exploded near a central police compound. Hamas officials said an Israeli missile fired from a drone caused the blast. The Israeli military gave no details about how the attack, which ended a period of relative calm, was carried out. The sound of the blast echoed through the city, and a column of black smoke and fire rose from the car, which was destroyed.

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Hamas leader calls for open dialogue with West
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 28, 2010 - 12:00am

GAZA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hamas is ready to start an open dialogue with the West, deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya said on Wednesday. "We need to clarify to the international community our stance and vision about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Haneya said in a press statement following a meeting with a French lawyer delegation in Gaza. "The West needs to listen to the Hamas' voice directly, not from the others," Haneya added.

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