Hamas: An Islamist party tries to regain its luster
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Christa Case Bryant - September 5, 2012 - 12:00am

Hamas has refashioned its government in an apparent bid to adapt to the sweeping changes in the Arab world and bolster its support among Gazans who, six years after bringing Hamas to power, are largely disillusioned and desperate for better lives. Over the weekend, the Islamist rulers of Gaza replaced seven of their 14 government ministers, including those in charge of housing, justice, and finance, in what officials and analysts say was a move to put more popular, competent officials in power.

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Arafat's widow has unclear motives
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - August 30, 2012 - 12:00am

After her husband, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, died in 2004 in a Paris military hospital, she refused to allow outside examination of his medical records or permit an autopsy. Her refusal compounded the mystery surrounding Arafat's death and fuelled rumours of stonewalling, Israeli plots and cover-ups.

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France opens Arafat murder inquiry
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
August 29, 2012 - 12:00am

A French court has opened a murder inquiry into the 2004 death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, prosecutors said on Tuesday, following claims by his wife that he may have been poisoned. Arafat died in a Paris military hospital in November 2004, a month after being airlifted - when his health collapsed - from his battered headquarters in Ramallah, where he had been effectively confined by Israel for more than two and a half years.

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Why did Hamas cancel participation in Iran's Non-Aligned Movement summit?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Avi Issacharoff - (Opinion) August 29, 2012 - 12:00am

A fierce storm briefly raged in the Palestinian political arena over the weekend. A few hours after the Hamas government spokesman announced in Gaza on Saturday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had invited Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to attend the Non-Aligned Movement conference and that Haniyeh intended to go, officials close to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that if Haniyeh goes to Tehran, Abbas would not.

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Sources: PA Attorney General resigns
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 27, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority Attorney-General Ahmad al-Mughni resigned his position on Saturday morning, informed sources told Ma'an. The sources said al-Mughni handed in his notice after meeting with a former US State Attorney in Ramallah, without elaborating on the content of the meeting. Al-Mughni could not be reached for confirmation. Earlier this year, Ma'an revealed the attorney-general was forcing private Internet companies to block access to websites loyal to ousted Fatah leader Muhammad Dahlan.

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Gaza 'not consulted' over reforms to divorce law
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 24, 2012 - 12:00am

Religious authorities in the West Bank failed to consult their counterparts in the Gaza Strip over proposed changes to divorce laws, the head of Islamic courts in Gaza said Thursday. The chief Islamic judge in the West Bank Sheikh Yusef Ideis announced Thursday that the Islamic supreme court would meet Monday to discuss a new law granting women the right to initiate divorce. The law will come into effect in September, Ideis said in a statement.

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PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib leaves post
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib has decided to leave his position and return to teaching, the PA's official news agency Wafa reported Wednesday. Khatib had taken a three-year leave of absence from Birzeit University to work as a spokesman and head of the PA government media center at the request of PA prime minister Salam Fayyad. Three years is the maximum amount of leave a university employee can take, which is why Khatib is returning to his former position, a statement from the center said.

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Despite ban, PLO leaders host Ramadan event in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

PLO leaders hosted a Ramadan event in east Jerusalem late Monday, in the first official Palestinian gathering in the 18 years since Israel imposed a ban on such activities in the holy city. Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO leader, and Adnan Husseini, the Palestinian Authority governor of Jerusalem, hosted the Iftar meal and briefed diplomats on a bid to join the United Nations in the coming months.

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PA grants 4.7 million NIS to West Bank universities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Finance on Wednesday transferred financial aid to seven universities, the PA education minister said. Ali al-Jarbawi said that Al-Najah University, Bethlehem University, Al-Istiqlal Academy, Bir Zeit, Hebron, the Open University and Palestinian polytechnic will all receive the funding, designed to alleviate the financial crisis affecting universities. The total amount of funding to be divided between the seven universities is 4.7 million shekels ($1.1 million).

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Palestinian comments on Holocaust underscore internal divides
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ben Lynfield - August 11, 2012 - 12:00am

A rare gesture of empathy for victims of the Holocaust has underscored how divided Palestinians are over recognizing what Jews consider the darkest chapter in their history – and also how far apart Israelis and Palestinians remain, not only when it comes to the present conflict, but also the past.

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