Ain al-Hilweh upbeat on recent Fatah-Hamas reconciliation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Mohammed Zaatari - May 9, 2011 - 12:00am

Lebanon’s Palestinian factions celebrated over the weekend the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas as officials and residents of Ain al-Hilweh underscored the importance of this opportunity to boost the resistance to Israeli occupation. At the southern entrance to the country’s biggest refugee camp, Hamas and Fatah flags were spotted elevated side by side atop of a tent where Palestinian nationalist anthems were played to mark unity among the Palestinian people and enmity to Israel.

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Report: Abbas wants Fayyad to head unity gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is interested in keeping Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as the head of the Hamas- Fatah unity government despite recent reports to the contrary, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday. It was recently said that Abbas, like Hamas leaders, is not among Fayyad's supporters. The relationship between the two has been strained for years; loyalists of the president accuse the prime minister of stealing the spotlight by gaining international popularity.

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Report: Abbas wants Fayyad to head unity gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is interested in keeping Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as the head of the Hamas- Fatah unity government despite recent reports to the contrary, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday. It was recently said that Abbas, like Hamas leaders, is not among Fayyad's supporters. The relationship between the two has been strained for years; loyalists of the president accuse the prime minister of stealing the spotlight by gaining international popularity.

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Report: Abbas wants Fayyad to head unity gov't
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - May 8, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is interested in keeping Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as the head of the Hamas- Fatah unity government despite recent reports to the contrary, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday. It was recently said that Abbas, like Hamas leaders, is not among Fayyad's supporters. The relationship between the two has been strained for years; loyalists of the president accuse the prime minister of stealing the spotlight by gaining international popularity.

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J-Street urges trial period for Palestinian coalition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Shefler - May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

The policies of the PA’s prospective Fatah-Hamas government towards Israel should be tested before it is condemned, J Street head Jeremy Ben-Ami said on Thursday in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Adopting a strategy that would avoid any “precipitous” policies could turn out to be beneficial for the peace process, he said.s “Jumping out to say either this is a terrible thing or good thing is in our opinion not the wisest move, and the real question is, what this new alignment really going to stand for and what is it going to do, and that we don’t know,” he said.

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J-Street urges trial period for Palestinian coalition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Gil Shefler - May 6, 2011 - 12:00am

The policies of the PA’s prospective Fatah-Hamas government towards Israel should be tested before it is condemned, J Street head Jeremy Ben-Ami said on Thursday in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Adopting a strategy that would avoid any “precipitous” policies could turn out to be beneficial for the peace process, he said.s “Jumping out to say either this is a terrible thing or good thing is in our opinion not the wisest move, and the real question is, what this new alignment really going to stand for and what is it going to do, and that we don’t know,” he said.

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Compromise behind Fatah-Hamas deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Their unity pact signed yesterday is being called surprising, historic and controversial, but neither Fatah nor Hamas, the rival Palestinian faction with which it is making amends, have offered much in terms of details. Analysts have described the Egyptian-brokered agreement, which will be celebrated in a ceremony today in Egypt's Nasser city, as a tactically beneficial compromise for both in light of popular calls for reconciliation, regional political upheaval and attempts at earning international recognition for a Palestinian state.

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Fayyad, driver of Palestinian statehood reforms, may miss party
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Hugh Naylor - May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Authority prime minister, a former IMF economist and political independent, is perhaps best known for fathering the institutional reforms and economic growth necessary to sustain a Palestinian state. But when his colleagues ask the United Nations to recognise Palestinian independence in September, the bespectacled, soft-spoken technocrat may not be around to see the two-year project that he largely engineered come to fruition.

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PM lands in London to lobby against Fatah-Hamas deal
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Tovah Lazaroff - May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu landed in London early Wednesday in a trip where he is expected to lobby European leaders against a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement. Before departing Israel on Tuesday night, the prime minister called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to drop the unity agreement with Hamas that he is expected to sign in Cairo on Wednesday.

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Smaller Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, back Hamas-Fatah reconciliation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

A top Palestinian negotiator says 15 smaller factions, including militant Islamic groups, have thrown their weight behind a reconciliation deal ending a four-year rift between the movement’s main groups, Hamas and Fatah. Under a framework accord reached last week between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Fatah in the West Bank, a unity caretaker government will be formed ahead of elections next year.

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