Hamas and Fatah: A Mideast muddle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
(Editorial) February 9, 2012 - 1:00am

THE ON-AGAIN, off-again “unity” agreement between rival Palestinian movements Hamas and Fatah seems to be on again. Or at least it was on Monday, when Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a new accord with Hamas chief Khaled Meshal after a meeting in Doha, Qatar. The pact calls for Mr. Abbas to serve as prime minister of a coalition government, which would serve only long enough to hold elections for a new Palestinian leadership. That’s if it gets off the ground: On Wednesday, Hamas’s Gaza-based leadership issued a statement objecting to the deal.

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Palestinian Minister Faces Trial on Corruption Charges
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 9, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian minister was referred to court for trial on Thursday after an inquiry proved that he was involved in corruption, the Anti-Corruption Commission said. Minister of Economy Hassan Abu Libdeh and one of his aides were accused of corruption and mismanagement, a statement said. The commission said in its statement that it informed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the findings. In November, Abu Libdeh suspended his job as minister so as to be free to "defend" himself during the inquiry.

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Palestinian unity accord
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
(Editorial) February 9, 2012 - 1:00am

The new deal signed in Qatar on Tuesday follows on from last May’s agreement in Cairo, where both sides seemed on the brink of coming together. That process foundered because Hamas rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ choice of Salam Fayyad as prime minister in the new coalition administration. Fayyad, who has very effectively restructured the security forces on the West Bank, has now been dropped from the ticket.

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Hamas-Fatah deal is realpolitik with real consequences
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Magid Shihade - (Opinion) February 8, 2012 - 1:00am

The agreement signed in Doha on Monday stipulates that President Mahmoud Abbas will lead an interim government, as well as keep his duties as head of the Palestinian Authority, in preparation for elections for the legislative council and for the presidency. Sponsored by Qatar's emir Sheikh Hamad Al Thani, the agreement was produced in large part because of regional and global developments. But it is better understood in terms of how these outside forces have affected internal changes in Palestinian politics.

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Palestinian Committee Suspends Work as Demands Neglected
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
February 8, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian committee pushing for public freedom suspended its work Wednesday because rival Hamas and Fatah parties did not consider its recommendations, sources said. The committee will soon write to the Palestinian president and Fatah head, Mahmoud Abbas, and all the other Palestinian factions to inform them of its decision, the sources told Xinhua.

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Officials to meet in Cairo to announce government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
February 7, 2012 - 1:00am

CAIRO (Ma’an) -- A delegation of Hamas officials have arrived in Cairo as President Abbas and PLO members are expected to arrive within the next few days to announce the structure of a transitional government. Fatah leader President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chief-in-exile Khalid Mashaal signed an agreement in Doha on Monday which stipulated that Abbas will head an interim government. The accord also included agreements on releasing political prisoners, reforming the Palestinian National Council and activating the PLO for the next elections, Palestine TV said.

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The Doha Palestinian unity agreement: Now the hard part
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN
by Robert Danin - (Opinion) February 7, 2012 - 1:00am

Monday's Fatah-Hamas unity agreement announced in Doha marks the latest in a series of unimplemented accords between the two Palestinian adversaries. The two sides announced - again - their intention to unify their efforts and form an independent caretaker government to shepherd the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza to new elections.

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A step towards Palestinian unity is only way ahead
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) February 7, 2012 - 1:00am

After years of animosity, armed hostilities and, lately, an uneasy truce, the bitter rift between Fatah and Hamas has - on the surface at least - begun to heal. The rival parties yesterday signed an accord to form a Palestinian unity government. The agreement, negotiated by Qatar, confirms the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas as the head of an interim government, with plans to set a date for unified general elections in the West Bank and Gaza. It would be the first such vote since Hamas won elections in 2006.

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The Goal is Democratization
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) February 6, 2012 - 1:00am

The relationship between the ongoing uprisings and revolutions in the Arab world and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process is a convoluted mix of cause and effect.

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The real domino effect
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) February 6, 2012 - 1:00am

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has been full of surprises in the last couple of months. First came his announcement that the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations should be given a chance. Then came the reconciliation agreement between Fateh and Hamas, which was followed by Meshaal's confirmation that he would not run for another term as director of Hamas' political bureau. And last but not least, he and his family left Syria and now he is looking for a new shelter for Hamas' headquarters.

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