Hoyer: Abbas, Fayyad sent mixed messages on UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Herb Keinon - August 11, 2011 - 12:00am

PA prime minister tells visiting US lawmakers no final decision yet made on statehood bid, while Abbas talks as if deal is done. The Palestinian leadership sent mixed messages to a Democratic Congressional delegation visiting Ramallah, with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad saying that no decision on the UN bid in September has been finalized, while PA President Mahmoud Abbas gave the impression that going to the UN was a done deal.

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Hamas leader: We will maintain security in Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
May 2, 2011 - 12:00am

A Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip says the Islamic militant group has no plans to dismantle its security forces or end its struggle against Israel after a new Palestinian unity government is formed this week. Hamas and the rival Fatah movement are set to sign a unity deal in Cairo on Wednesday. The plan seeks to end a 4-year-old rift that has left the Palestinians divided between a Western-leaning government in the West Bank and the Hamas regime in Gaza. The plan calls for elections next year but is vague about the future of rival security forces or using violence against Israel.

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Palestinian Security Forces Abused Journalists, Report Says
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - April 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian journalists have been subjected to detention and abuse at the hands of Palestinian security agencies, a pattern that has led many to self-censor and produced a chilling effect on the free exchange of information and ideas, a human rights group said in a new report.

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'PA police arrest 2 Islamic Jihad members for J'lem attack'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - March 24, 2011 - 12:00am

Two members of Islamic Jihad were arrested by Palestinian police in Jenin on Thursday in connection to Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem. According to a statement released by Islamic Jihad, "Palestinian security forces broke into the home of Jihad official Khaled Jaradat and arrested him. Other forces arrested organization official Tarek Kaadan near his home." On Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Jerusalem explosion that killed a woman and wounded dozens of people, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad welcomed it as a “natural response to Israeli crimes.”

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Gaza security forces violently disperse rally
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
March 16, 2011 - 12:00am

Security forces forcefully dispersed protesters from a square in central Gaza City late Tuesday, witnesses said. Protesters in Gaza said security forces set up hundreds of barriers around the main square of demonstrations and were patrolling the area. They beat people with batons and set fire to tents that were set up by the demonstrators, according to activists in Gaza City. The March 15 Coalition said hundreds of Hamas security forces stormed the protests and tried to evacuate it by force.

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Shin Bet warns of increased PA security involvement in East Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Chaim Levinson - February 22, 2011 - 1:00am

Intelligence figures in the Jerusalem District Police and the Shin Bet security service are increasingly concerned about the growing involvement of Palestinian security authorities in East Jerusalem. Recent intelligence reports suggested that militant Palestinians may be trying to prevent the operation of community centers so that young Palestinians will roam the streets and disturb the peace. In another incident, the Palestinian security forces reportedly arrested a man in connection to a dispute between neighbors.

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Tear gas launcher hits Silwan home
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Yair Altman - February 21, 2011 - 1:00am

The occasional riots in Silwan have become a common phenomenon in east Jerusalem, but for 33-year-old resident Issam Qawasmeh, Friday's rally turned into a nightmare. When the riots began he and his wife and three small children decided to stay in the house so as not to get hurt, but at the end of the day Qawasmeh and his two-month baby found themselves in the hospital. On Friday evening young men began to stone houses in Silwan. Border Guard soldiers were called to the scene and tried to disperse the crowd using tear gas grenade launchers.

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To build Palestine, support the plan that will establish a state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) February 16, 2011 - 1:00am

For decades, little attention has been paid to what has actually been happening on the ground with regard to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The institution-building programme of the Palestinian Authority, which has been spearheaded by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is surrounded by a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding. This may be a function of the very nature of the programme: a political project that has its foundation in the technical aspects of building a nation.

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PA to Stop Court-Martialing Civilians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by David Miller - January 19, 2011 - 1:00am

Palestinian human rights organization have saluted a decision by the Palestinian Authority to halt political arrests in the West Bank, but expressed concern security forces would continue their crackdown on opponents on criminal grounds.

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US focus on framework agreement in peace talks
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - December 16, 2010 - 1:00am

George Mitchell, the US Middle East envoy, said yesterday that he hoped to make "real progress" in peace talks, even as media reports suggested that the Palestinians may be disappointed with Washington's efforts so far. Mr Mitchell met in Cairo with Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, on the third day of his visit to the region. "In the days ahead our discussions with both sides will be substantive, two-way conversations with an eye towards making real progress in the next few months on the key questions of an eventual framework agreement," he said.

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