Gaza Strip's Hamas leader reshuffles Cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
March 10, 2011 - 1:00am

The Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip reshuffled his Cabinet on Thursday, naming the first foreign minister for the isolated militant-run Palestinian territory. Hamas said Ismail Haniyeh's move was unrelated to the unrest rocking the Arab region, but it is likely to be seen as an effort by the hard-line movement to convey a more open image to the outside world. For the first time since the group's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, there is a Hamas foreign minister. Haniyeh appointed Mohammed Awad to the post. Awad will also keep his job as planning minister.

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PA recalibrating its strategy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Daoud Kuttab - March 10, 2011 - 1:00am

For the first time in many months, Palestinian spokesmen appear to indicate a revisit of their political strategy towards liberation and independence. It is not clear what the new ideas are, but it is obvious that Palestinian plans focusing on a September landmark seem to be in question.

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Abbas hints at resignation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 9, 2011 - 1:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas hinted Tuesday that he would resign if an independent Palestinian state was not established by September. Abbas' remarks came at a joint press conference with British Foreign Minister William Hague in London. Responding to reporters' questions about his resignation, Abbas said all options were being considered.

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Hamas leader says to reshuffle government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
March 8, 2011 - 1:00am

Prime Minister of the deposed Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haneya said on Monday that he will reshuffle his deposed government soon. He told a gathering of his government's representatives in Gaza that the move aims at pumping new blood to the government. "The activities of the government are not linked with this minister or that one, the ministers come and go, and we are going to reshuffle the government soon," said Haneya. He noted that his government had held consultations "with everyone without exception, adding that there are some people who refused to join the government.

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Abbas gives Fayyad more time to form cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 7, 2011 - 1:00am

Re-appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad requested on Sunday another two weeks to form a new government, the secretary general of the Council of Ministers said. Na’im Abu Al-Hums told Ma'an Fayyad made the request to President Mahmoud Abbas and it had been agreed, allowing the independent politician to continue a series of consultations with a range of Palestinian political parties.

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Fatah scattered over Fayyad unity plan
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 7, 2011 - 1:00am

Fatah leaders are divided over re-appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan to create a unity government as he re-assembles the resigned ministerial cabinet. Since handing in his government's resignation on 14 February and being re-appointed as Prime Minister, Fayyad has said he hopes to use the mandate given to him to reconstruct the cabinet as an opportunity to cobble together a body which would put an end to political infighting, and lead the way to municipal, national and presidential elections in the coming five months.

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Hamas: Fayyad unity plan 'born dead'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Political adviser to Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan to create a new unity cabinet was "born dead, it is of no political value." In a government statement, Yousef Rizqa said Hamas officials never received information on Fayyad's plan, splashed across Palestinian newspapers, which said the re-appointed prime minister was consulting with Hamas members in an effort to bring the party into a new government body ahead of national and municipal elections set for September and June respectively.

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Major Palestinian party looks to oust Fayyad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - March 3, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' dominant Fatah political faction has demanded that he sack Western-backed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, according to a letter shown to Reuters on Thursday. The letter, signed by senior Fatah officials, was sent to Abbas on Saturday, but the president "did not take it seriously", a Fatah official told Reuters. However, the request underlined deep political friction at the heart of the Palestinian Authority, with many Fatah activists clearly frustrated by Fayyad, who has no significant political base of his own but wields substantial power.

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Future Cloudy As Palestinians Dissolve Peace Team
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR)
by Sheera Frenkel - March 1, 2011 - 1:00am

As popular uprisings continue to spread across the Middle East, Palestinian leaders have made a number of moves aimed at appeasing would-be protesters in the West Bank. Among those is the dismantling of their entire peacemaking apparatus, which has become deeply unpopular after years of failed peace talks. Palestinian officials say it is now unclear who would negotiate for them if the peace process resumes.

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Salaam Fayyad offers 'pragmatic' olive branch to Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - March 1, 2011 - 1:00am

If nothing else, Salaam Fayyad is reasonable, a trait that befits a man who is a trained economist and has spent more of his life in academia than politics. Which is why after more than four years of bitter infighting between Hamas and Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority last month invited the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers to join a national unity government.

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