Abbas: Hamas is smuggling weapons into the West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Jack Khoury - May 6, 2010 - 12:00am


Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday accused the rival Hamas movement of smuggling weapons into the West Bank territory under his control. "On the one hand, the organization is punishing those who launch rockets in Gaza, while at the same time it hoards weapons in the West Bank," the Palestinian leader said in an interview with the London-based A-Sharq al-Awsat. Palestinian security forces routinely discover these caches, Abbas told the newspaper.


Palestinian president warns of Hamas arms smuggling in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 6, 2010 - 12:00am


The Palestinian president has accused Hamas militants of smuggling large amounts of weapons into the West Bank, just as peace talks with Israel are getting under way. President Mahmoud Abbas said in a newspaper interview published Thursday that his forces have largely thwarted the smuggling efforts. He says they confiscate weapons, explosives and other equipment from Hamas operatives every day. The comments, made to the London-based Arabic daily Sharq al-Awsat, appeared to be aimed at easing Israeli concerns as indirect U.S.-mediated peace talks begin this week.


Hamas knocks Abbas on anti-armed resistance statements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 6, 2010 - 12:00am


Islamic Hamas movement criticized on Thursday the statements of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the Palestinian people, including his Fatah party and Hamas, are not interested in the "armed resistance" against Israel. In a press release, a Hamas official, Salah al-Bardawil, described Abbas' statements as false and only aim to "fraud the will of the Palestinian people and their right to struggle for their freedom."


PNA to test U.S. credibility in proximity talks among criticism from opposition groups
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Saud Abu Ramadan, Fares Akram - May 6, 2010 - 12:00am


A senior Palestinian National Authority (PNA) official said on Wednesday that the upcoming few weeks will show the U.S. administration's seriousness and credibility in pushing forward the four-month proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "The coming weeks will be a test for the ability and credibility of the U.S. administration to push forward real and serious negotiations that lead to tangible results and not only negotiations without outcomes," Nabil Abu Rdineh, spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told reporters.


PA sets deadline to end settlement work
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 5, 2010 - 12:00am


The Palestinian Authority is working in full swing to make sure no laborers will be working in Israeli settlements by the end of 2011, PA Minster of National Economy Hasan Abu Libda said Tuesday. “There are currently 25,000 Palestinians who make their living from working in Israeli settlements. They should stop as they aren’t any different from 200,000 other unemployed workers,” Abu Libda said in an interview with Ma'an.


PLO factions fail to stand united in municipal polls
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 5, 2010 - 12:00am


Factions of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) failed to agree on entering municipal elections in the West Bank under a unified list, representatives said on Tuesday. "Forming a unified list is far away and difficult now despite the talks," Amin Maqboul, a member of Fatah Revolutionary Council, told Xinhua. President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, the main faction in the organization, held several dialogues with the leftist groups of the PLO over the past two months to unite in the elections that would be held in July.


MESS Report / Hamas fears economic crisis could spark uprising
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am


It turns out that not only Greece and Spain are suffering economic hardship. The Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip is facing a severe economic crisis due to the dwindling foreign assistance the organization normally relies on. The financial distress is raising concern among Hamas leaders that they may not be able to withstand the increasing public pressure, which could lead to a popular uprising against the government.


If Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resume, Israel plans to highlight incitement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - May 4, 2010 - 12:00am


With some expecting US-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume this month, Israel is complaining of Palestinian government-sponsored "incitement'' against the Jewish state. Israel is planning to highlight claims of demonization of Israel and glorification of terrorism by Palestinian leaders after months of being on the defensive over settlement expansion in the West Bank and Jerusalem, analysts said. Government spokesman Mark Regev said that progress on incitement would be a "crucial'' issue in peace negotiations.


Fayyad calls for lifting Gaza siege
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 30, 2010 - 12:00am


Prime Minister of the caretaker government Salam Fayyad called Thursday for lifting the siege on Gaza. Following talks with South African foreign affairs chief Ibrahim Ismail Ibrahim in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Fayyad affirmed the necessity of lifting the siege to enable the Palestinian Authority to begin rebuilding Gaza by implementing developmental and vital projects similar to those being accomplished in the West Bank.


Abbas urged to name deputy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - April 30, 2010 - 12:00am


In the wake of reports that he’s facing health problems, Fatah is demanding that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appoint a deputy, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Senior Fatah officials who met with Abbas, 75, over the past week urged him to consider appointing a deputy president, to prevent power vacuum if he were unable to carry out his duties.



American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017