Middle East News: World Press Roundup

Hamas refusal to take sides in Syrian strife is raising tensions. Hamas says it will honor an unofficial cease-fire with Israel under a new unity government. 13 Palestinian factions meet in Cairo for the unity agreement. Israel’s threat to withhold Palestinian tax revenues exposes economic vulnerabilities under occupation, and PM Fayyad says salaries cannot be paid without that income. Gazans protest Hamas’ condemnation of the death of Osama bin Laden, while others rally in praise of him. Palestinians blame settlers for a mosque fire in the West Bank. Concerns grow that Fayyad may not be part of a new government. Pres. Abbas’ office calls for maintaining calm with Israel. Ha’aretz says Pres. Obama must bring his daring to Middle East peace. Aluf Benn says Obama must use his new clout wisely, including between Israel and the Palestinians. The US Supreme Court will rule on the case involving the legal status of Jerusalem. Gershon Baskin says the Palestinian unity deal may offer new opportunities for peace. Yehudah Mirsky says the Quartet should maintain its positions with any new Palestinian government. George Semaan says national unity is the first step towards Palestinian statehood. Linda Heard warns Egypt may be walking into an Israeli trap in Gaza. Ghassan Khatib says the unity agreement is good for peace, but Yossi Alpher says it’s not a finished product and Israel shouldn’t interfere. Shlomo Brom provides an Israeli analysis of the Palestinian unity deal.

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Tensions Rise as Hamas Refuses to Take Sides in Syria ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner - May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Relations between the Palestinian group Hamas, which is based in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and the Syrian authorities have been strained in recent weeks, mostly as a result of the antigovernment uprising there, with reports growing that Hamas is looking for another home. Al Hayat, the London-based pan-Arab newspaper, reported Saturday that Hamas’s political wing was decamping to Doha, the capital of Qatar, but Hamas officials in Syria and beyond it denied it. Similar reports circulated on Monday and denials were again issued. » Read more

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. » Read more

Palestinian vulnerability exposed as Israel withholds money ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times by Maher Abukhater - May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday sent out an urgent appeal for help saying he may not be able to pay for salaries for about 130,000 public employees or anything else if Israel does not release about $100 million in funds collected over the last month on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. » Read more

Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year, an AFP correspondent said. Representatives of 13 factions, including President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and its rival Hamas, as well as independent political figures inked the deal following talks with Egyptian officials. A formal signing ceremony will be held on Wednesday, and will be attended by Hamas chief Khalid Mash'al and President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

Fayyad: No salaries as PA waits for tax revenues ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad said Monday that Israel's decision to withhold Palestinian tax revenue over the announcement of Palestinian unity would not deter reconciliation efforts. "The Palestinian Authority will never accept division as the price of financial support," Fayyad told reporters Monday afternoon in Ramallah. Israel's Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio on Sunday he had postponed a meeting to arrange the transfer of an estimated 300 million shekels ($88.7 million) in tax revenue which Israel collects on behalf of the PA. » Read more

Palestinian unity drive has Israeli price tag ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Mohammed Assadi - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian government workers fear pay cuts this month after Israel halted transfer of tax revenues in response to a deal to reunite the two rival wings of the Palestinian independence movement. But many believe the surprise agreement between President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah faction and Hamas Islamists in Gaza will be worth the price if it brings statehood closer. Israel refuses to deal with Hamas, which does not recognise the Jewish state. The two came close to a second war last month. » Read more

Gaza demonstrators condemn death of bin Laden ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Some two dozen Palestinians gathered in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to pay tribute to slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. About 25 people holding pictures and posters of bin Laden rallied outside a Gaza City university. The crowd included al-Qaida sympathizers as well as students who said they opposed bin Laden's ideology, but were angry at the U.S. for killing him and consider him a martyr. Hamas police did not interfere in the demonstration. » Read more

Palestinians: Fire damages mosque in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian villagers say a mosque has been set on fire in the northern West Bank. The residents of Hawara village near Nablus say they didn't see anyone at the scene of the pre-dawn blaze on Tuesday. But the villagers say they suspect the mosque was torched by Jewish settlers who live nearby and with whom they have strained relations. Villagers put out the fire, which damaged prayer carpets. Two of the mosque's windows were broken. Israeli security forces had no immediate comment. » Read more

Popular Palestinian premier could be on way out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Mohammed Daraghmeh - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am There are growing signs that the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, could be on his way out, as the rival Fatah and Hamas movements prepare to sign a reconciliation deal this week and form a new "unity government." An ouster of the internationally respected economist could cost the Palestinians hundreds of millions of dollars in Western aid, spell the end of critical U.S. training for Palestinian security forces and endanger an effort to win support for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations. » Read more

Palestinian presidency calls for keeping calm with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 3, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian presidency called on factions Fatah and Hamas movements to maintain calm with Israel, saying this is only way to face it. "Israel is trying to make excuses in order not to break the siege on the Gaza Strip or to withdraw from the Palestinian lands, " presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rdineh said. "We do not want to give Israel pretexts by violating the state of calm." » Read more

Israeli threat to withhold taxes to damage Palestinian economy: analysts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Israel's reaction to the Fatah- Hamas reconciliation continued this week as Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz threatened to withhold taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) over fears that Hamas may use the money to fund its actions against Israel. Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas announced last Wednesday an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation deal, which outlined the creation of a unity government and preparations for national and presidential elections. » Read more

Palestinian factions' leaders arrive in Cairo for reconciliation deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Leaders of Palestinian political factions arrived in Cairo on Monday to join a ceremony of signing a reconciliation agreement over ending around four years of internal Palestinian division. Leaders of left-wing parties, Islamic Jihad and the independent Palestinian figures from Gaza and the West Bank arrived in Cairo to join the signing ceremony. The reconciliation deal is scheduled to be signed by the leaders of Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party in Cairo on Wednesday under the sponsorship of Egypt. » Read more

Dozens of Palestinians pay tribute to bin Laden in Gaza ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Jack Khoury - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am Some two dozen Palestinians gathered in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to pay tribute to slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. About 25 people holding pictures and posters of bin Laden rallied outside a Gaza City university. The crowd included al-Qaida sympathizers as well as students who said they opposed bin Laden's ideology, but were angry at the U.S. for killing him and consider him a martyr. Hamas police did not interfere with the demonstration. » Read more

Obama must bring his daring to Israeli-Palestinian peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am The value of yesterday's assassination of Osama bin Laden is more symbolic than practical. The Al-Qaida leader has influenced events around the world more than anyone else in the past decade. He ordered the attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to the American military intervention in Afghanistan and indirectly led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. » Read more

Obama has been given an extra chance - he must use it wisely ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Aluf Benn - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am The killing of Osama bin Laden in a commando raid in Pakistan has shown that America has not lost its initiative and fighting spirit in the war against radical Islam. President Barack Obama has proved he is no latter-day Neville Chamberlain, the leader who tried to appease the forces of evil. » Read more

US court case: Is Jerusalem part of Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 2, 2011 - 12:00am The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal over whether an American born in Jerusalem can have Israel listed as his birthplace on his passport even though US policy does not recognize the once-divided city as belonging to Israel. The court said Monday it will review an appeals court ruling against Jerusalem-born Menachem Zivotofsky and his parents. They filed a lawsuit after State Department officials refused to list Israel as his birthplace. » Read more

Hamas-Fatah reconciliation: Opportunity or disaster? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation caught everyone by surprise – even Mahmoud Abbas. Fatah, under Abbas’ leadership, had signed the proposed Egyptian document for reconciliation in October 2009. I speculated then that the only reason Abbas signed was because he was convinced Hamas would not. The new understandings contain less content and explicit reconciliation than the original document, which included a re-integration of the security forces. The current agreement is much more procedural in nature, and mainly focuses on preparing for new elections. » Read more

Hamas-Fatah: Looking for the Red Lines ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Ideas Daily by Yehudah Mirsky - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Things can always get worse, and in the Middle East they usually will. That was made depressingly clear once again with the April 27 announcement in Cairo of a reconciliation agreement between the rival Palestinian organizations of Fatah and Hamas. » Read more

Palestinian Reconciliation, First Step Toward Proclamation of the State ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Dar Al-Hayat by George Semaan - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am The signing of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement between the authority and the Hamas movement is an extremely belated step. Throughout many months, this agreement remained quasi-impossible, but the Arab action, from Tunisia to Syria going through Egypt, Yemen and Jordan, was behind the activation of reconciliation, as the Palestinians felt that their cause was no longer the first item on the agenda of the Arab capitals facing a busy domestic schedule. At this level, it would be enough to mention the major transformation witnessed in Egypt, i.e. » Read more

'Arab Spring' a boon for Israel? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News by Linda Heard - May 2, 2011 - 12:00am It is generally believed that the political shape shifting throughout swathes of the Arab world constitutes bad news for Israel. That argument does hold some water. For instance, Egypt's caretaker Cabinet has succeeded in bringing Fatah and Hamas together to form a unity government and has announced plans to reopen the Rafah crossing to Gaza. Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Gen. Sami Anan says, "Israel has no right to intervene in the decision about the Rafah border. It is an Egyptian-Palestinian matter." » Read more

Good news for peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Ghassan Khatib - (Blog) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am The reconciliation agreement that was initialed between Fateh and Hamas and will be signed by them in Cairo, next Wednesday, is good news for both the Palestinian people and the peace process. A united Palestinian people is more conducive to a successful peace process than Palestinians splintered and in conflict. This is especially true if they are united on a political basis compatible to the fundamental requirements of the peace process and international legality. » Read more

Not a finished product ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am The Fateh-Hamas reconciliation announced last week is yet another by-product of the revolutionary wave sweeping the Arab world. As such, it is not a finished product: it is subject to change and evolution. Moreover, in the particular case of the Palestinians, we may also witness changes in the reconciliation process that reflect the shifting tactical calculations of the two partners, much as we have seen in their relationship ever since the 2006 Palestinian elections. Indeed, one difficulty in understanding this new departure is the lack of total clarity regarding both sides' motives. » Read more

The Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Institute For National Security Studies- Tel Aviv University by Shlomo Brom - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am The Egyptian announcement of April 27 that Fatah and Hamas reached an agreement on reconciliation took many people by surprise, including Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who himself did not believe that Hamas would accept the Egyptian reconciliation offer. Israel and the United States, who have factored the rift between Fatah and Hamas as a central element in their policies, were likewise surprised. Against this background, several major questions about the reconciliation agreement emerge. What moved the parties to change their positions and reach an accord? » Read more

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