Hamas to Investigate Attack on Human Rights Activist
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 20, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Gaza government on Thursday vowed to find the perpetrators of an attack on a human rights activist who was stabbed in Gaza City. Mahmoud Abu Rahma was attacked by masked men and stabbed multiple times while walking back from his brother's house on Friday night, he told Ma'an.

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Palestinian Fatah Looks Ill-Prepared For Election
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - January 20, 2012 - 1:00am

HEBRON, West Bank — Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian national movement whose survival is key to hopes for a peace deal with Israel, appears ill-prepared for a promised electoral showdown with the Islamic militant Hamas.

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Arab Students Arrested Over Call to Avoid Peres Lecture
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Hassan Shaalan - January 20, 2012 - 1:00am

Three Arab students from the Jerusalem College of Engineering (JCE) claimed Thursday that they were arrested after urging other JCE student to boycott a recent lecture by President Shimon Peres. The police said that the three were threatening other students and inciting racism, stressing that the students were detained only after a complaint was filed in the matter. The three were interrogated by officers of the Jerusalem District Police and were later remanded to one week's house arrest.

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Hamas Attack on Gaza Shiites May Indicate its Political Shift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - January 20, 2012 - 1:00am

BEIT LAHIA // When they later recalled the siege by Hamas security forces, it was not its ferocity that astonished the residents of Beit Lahiya. It was the target - Shiite Muslims gathered in the building to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. Up to 100 policemen and masked men in civilian clothes stormed an apartment building in the Gaza enclave late on Saturday. Minutes later, they emerged dragging 15 men, whom they then beat with truncheons and denounced as infidels. Neighbourhood residents drawn to the commotion said they were shocked.

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Palestine women's ministry staff go on hunger strike
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Nasouh Nazzal - January 19, 2012 - 1:00am

Ramallah: Women employees at the Palestinian Women's Affairs Ministry are on a "hunger strike till death" to protest against corruption and harassment. The hunger strike was announced on Tuesday by the women who gathered near the graveyard of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. "The situation is grave as the women have received threats to be shot in their legs. Ministry authorities have vowed not to let the employees in the offices," a statement by the striking women said.

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Islamic Jihad Cell Arrested in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
January 19, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Ten members of an Islamic Jihad terror cell were arrested near Jenin in the West Bank. The cell was planning attacks against Israeli soldiers and the abductions of Israelis, according to reports Thursday after the Shin Bet security services lifted a gag order on the case. It also had been in contact with Islamic Jihad in Gaza and accepted significant amounts of money from Islamic Jihad in Syria to buy weapons.

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Palestinians to Renew Efforts for Bid to U.N.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Times
by Ben Birnbaum - January 19, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials say that they will resume their effort to gain U.N. membership, and that they could launch a nonviolent third intifada because they see no chance of reaching a peace deal with the current Israeli government. The Palestinians had put their U.N. bid on hold to participate in informal Jordanian-sponsored talks with Israel that began at the beginning of the year in Amman.

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Shia Group ‘Attacked by Police’ in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A group of Shiite worshipers say masked police violently raided a religious service in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, prompting furious denials by the Hamas-dominated government in the territory. Around 20 followers of the Shia branch of Islam were performing a ceremony for Ashura, the commemoration of the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein, when masked police stormed the private home in Beit Lahiya, they told Palestinian human rights groups.

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‘Hamas Bans Reality TV Singing Competition in Gaza’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

A Gazan version of "X-Factor" is prohibited as Hamas says it "contradicts the customs and traditions of Gaza community." Hamas banned Gaza residents from taking part in a national reality X-Factor style show called New Star, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Monday. Hamas's reason for prohibiting the television show - produced by Ma'an TV- was that the program was "indecent," Ma'an reported.


Hamas Leader Stepping Down in ‘Pure Speculation’
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - January 18, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA CITY // Khaled Meshaal has no plans to step down as the head of Hamas, a spokesman for the Islamist group said yesterday, denying reports the Damascus-based leader would resign. Fawzi Barhoum described as "pure speculation" a flurry of news articles in the Arabic media yesterday saying Mr Meshaal, 55, would relinquish his position soon. "For anything like this to be true, there would have to be a formal announcement by either the movement or Mr Meshaal himself," said Mr Barhoum, a spokesman in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas controls.

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