Hamas/Fatah Reconciliation | The American Task Force on Palestine

Before a Diplomatic Showdown, a Budget Crisis Saps Palestinians’ Confidence
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - July 27, 2011 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank — As the Palestinian Authority faces some of the hardest choices in its history regarding relations with Israel, membership in the United Nations and unity with Hamas, it is mired in a severe economic crisis, leading many here to a sense of foreboding and despair.

Hamas: No Palestinian reconciliation if Fayyad remains PM
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Associated Press - July 13, 2011 - 12:00am

A senior Hamas official said a planned reconciliation with Fatah will be deeply threatened if the rival Palestinian movement insists Western-backed economist Salam Fayyad stays on as prime minister. President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah thinks keeping Fayyad as prime minister is key to maintaining the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars in Western aid. Hamas sees Fayyad as too close to the West. Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk was quoted Wednesday by the Palestinian daily Felesteen as saying Abbas' position is "unacceptable and unreasonable."

Erekat: Turkey to aid statehood bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
June 24, 2011 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat said Friday that Turkey had pledged to enlist more nations to recognize Palestine as an independent state at the UN in September. Speaking with Ma'an from Turkey, where he is with President Mahmoud Abbas for meetings with the Turkish leadership, Erekat said they had a made a number of requests of Turkey which were all agreed, without giving further details.

Hamas peacemaker's new softer stance treads a risky path
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - June 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Khaled Meshaal, the Damascus-based Hamas leader, has been praised for his role in the recent reconciliation process with the rival Palestinian group Fatah. Mediators involved in the agreement credit him for checking the Islamist group's hard-line impulses and pushing a policy of pragmatism. But his calibrated gamble to soften the Islamists' image could backfire, Palestinian analysts say, if his efforts fail to unify Palestinians or gain international acknowledgment.

Hamas, Fatah should look at bigger picture
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
(Editorial) June 15, 2011 - 12:00am

Continuing reconciliation between the two Palestinian parties of Fatah and Hamas is vital. The slow momentum which has built up since they signed a reconciliation pact on May 4 must not be allowed to stop. An agreed interim government is their main priority, since without such an agreement the Palestinians will not be able to go to the United Nations in September and seek recognition as a state, nor will they be able to seek UN support to end the blockade of Gaza.

Take away Hamas excuses on unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) June 14, 2011 - 12:00am

Salam Fayyad probably saw it coming. Four years ago, the Palestinian prime minister told The New York Times that he had every intention of de-legitimising the Islamist movement of Hamas. Violence is "not who we are", he said in 2007. "I want to disappoint them." On Sunday, it was Hamas that did the disappointing.

Abbas and Fayyad disagree on unilateral declaration of Palestinian state at UN
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ahram Online
by Saleh Al-Naami - June 9, 2011 - 12:00am

The Hebrew website of the Israeli daily Haartez revealed Thursday a disagreement between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad regarding seeking state recognition from the United Nations in September.

Hamas says not to accept Fayyad as PM
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
June 9, 2011 - 12:00am

The Islamic Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, said on Thursday that it cannot accept Salam Fayyad, the West Bank-based prime minister, to lead the upcoming Palestinian unity government. Appointing Fayyad for the new government "is unacceptable and it cannot theoretically or practically lead to achieving reconciliation," said Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy chief of Hamas ' politburo.

Time to try a new option
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Editorial) June 6, 2011 - 12:00am

The partial opening of the Rafah crossing by Egypt's military rulers, coupled with the anticipation of another Turkish-led naval flotilla seeking to breach the Gaza blockade, provide a timely opportunity to review the logic of Israel's restrictions on movement into and out of the Strip. The Egyptian move also raises the issue of Gaza's future relationship with Egypt, Israel and the West Bank.

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