Good news
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
September 29, 2009 - 12:00am

News coming out of Cairo recently suggests that the Egyptian mediation efforts may have reached a breakthrough in reconciling the differences between Fateh and Hamas. It appears that the two Palestinian factions are now ready to settle their differences and reach a viable compromise. The attempts to bring the two Palestinian movements closer seem to have succeeded in convincing Hamas leader Khaled Mishaal, who recently visited Cairo, of the wisdom of such move; now he is expected to give his approval to the Egyptian ideas, at least in principle.

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Egypt plans Fatah-Hamas 'reconciliation' parley
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - September 29, 2009 - 12:00am

Egypt has decided to invite representatives of all Palestinian factions to a "national unity dialogue" conference that would take place in Cairo next month and would lead to the signing of a reconciliation accord between Hamas and Fatah, Palestinian officials in Ramallah said on Tuesday. They said the decision to convene the conference in Cairo follows the breakthrough achieved in the past few weeks in efforts to end the rift between Hamas and Fatah.

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Hamas agrees to reconcile with Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Nadia Abou el-Magd - September 29, 2009 - 12:00am

Hamas has announced that it will accept an Egyptian proposal for ending its bitter power struggle with Fatah, renewing hopes for an end to political deadlock and intra-Palestinian violence and pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections next year. Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’s political leader, sounded optimistic as he announced that Hamas would sign the Egyptian reconciliation accord with Fatah and other Palestinian factions in October.

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Hamas leader to give unity reply
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Christian Fraser - September 28, 2009 - 12:00am

Fatah, headed by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas have been bitterly divided since Hamas took control of Gaza in May 2007. So far there have seven rounds of dialogue, with no breakthrough. The Egyptians have twice postponed the scheduled date for a signature as the row between the factions has festered. But Khaled Mashaal's latest visit to Cairo is thought to be significant. The Syrian-based Hamas leader is coming to give his side's response to a written Egyptian proposal on how they might finally come to an agreement. Prisoner issue

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Palestinians 'close to agreement'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Christian Fraser - September 28, 2009 - 12:00am

Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says all Palestinian factions are drawing close to agreement on Egypt's proposals for Palestinian reconciliation. Mr Meshaal has met the head of Egyptian intelligence, Omar Suleiman, to give his answer to the proposals. He said Hamas have given some thoughts on how the draft might be adjusted - but in principle will return by the end of October to sign a final draft. Fatah and Hamas have been divided since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

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Fatah: Presidential Decree on Election Date by Oct 25
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
by Kifah Zaboun - September 21, 2009 - 12:00am

Asharq Al-Awsat- High-level sources in Fatah have asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that a final decision has been made on a presidential decree [related to the upcoming elections] by the Palestinian president to be issued before 25 October, as Asharq Al-Awsat had reported earlier.

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Can Hamas spoil Obama's three-way Mideast summit?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Joshua Mitnick - September 20, 2009 - 12:00am

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh slammed the Obama administration's plan to meet Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying that Palestinians will reject anything Mr. Abbas agrees to during discussions on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. His comments come one day after militants in Gaza fired two rockets into Israel and as a flare up in violence along the Gaza border left two militants dead.

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Mideast Discord Thwarts A Palestinian Love Story
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from National Public Radio (NPR)
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro - September 16, 2009 - 12:00am

They are engaged — Amani, a Palestinian woman from the Gaza Strip, and Basheer, her fiance who lives in the West Bank. But even though they are both of the same religion and the same nationality, they cannot get married. The house he has built for her sits in an orchard filled with ripe pomegranates, figs and lemons. It's fully furnished, but everything is too neatly in its place. It's lifeless, a home waiting to be lived in. Basheer

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Fatah backs Egypt's plan for 'unity'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - September 11, 2009 - 12:00am

Fatah welcomes a new Egyptian proposal aimed at solving its dispute with Hamas, a high-ranking Fatah official said on Thursday. The Egyptian proposal has the support of the Hamas as well. "Fatah has welcomed and accepted the latest proposal," said Jibril Rajoub, the newly-elected member of Fatah's Central Committee, who said that the proposal would bring the two rival parties closer to signing a "national unity agreement."

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Abbas receives Egypt's vision of reconciliation, response in 2 days
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
September 10, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received Egypt’s conciliation plan and is currently reviewing it, Presidential Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Wednesday. In a statement published on the official government news website WAFA, Abu Rudeineh said it was expected Abbas would take two days to prepare an official response to the submitted plan, or “vision,” as the statement called it.

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