Lebanon welcomes Palestinian reconciliation, calls for Int'l support ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 4, 2011 - 12:00am Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday welcomed the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas, calling for international support to the deal. The reconciliation between the two parties was a blessed step to protect the Palestinian people and establish an independent state, Hariri said in a statement. » Read more

Analysis: For Hamas, unity is just a tactic to survive ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Yaakov Katz - (Opinion) May 5, 2011 - 12:00am At the beginning of the year, Hamas and Fatah were close to signing a reconciliation agreement brokered by Egypt. At the last minute, however, Khaled Mashaal, leader of Hamas’s political wing, which is based in Damascus, nixed the deal. But then the ground shook in Syria and he suddenly changed his mind. As the fate of his patron, Syrian President Bashar Assad, hung in the balance, Mashaal made a calculated tactical decision to try and ensure his political survival by approving the reconciliation deal, which just months earlier he had conspicuously rejected. » Read more

Jerusalem mayor says holy city indivisible ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press by Dan Perry - May 4, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli mayor of Jerusalem said Wednesday that Arabs and Jews are now so intertwined that the city cannot possibly be divided, even though both Israel and the Palestinians claim it as their capital. "You cannot divide the city," said Nir Barkat in a meeting in his office with The Associated Press and several other foreign media organizations. "I know it will never work." » Read more

Israeli PM's military attache stays away from UK ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press May 5, 2011 - 12:00am The Israeli army says the prime minister's military attache did not accompany him to Britain this week, fearing pro-Palestinian activists might try to have him arrested on war crimes charges. Maj. Gen. Yohanan Locker was deputy chief of the Israel Air Force during Israel's war in Gaza two years ago. Activists critical of Israel's conduct in Gaza have sought to arrest other Israeli officials under a British law that allows foreigners to be prosecuted for alleged war crimes committed anywhere in the world. » Read more

Palestinian Gambit May Keep International Funding Flowing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line by Felice Friedson, Arieh O'Sullivan - May 4, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian leadership is maneuvering to appoint technocrats to the planned national unity government to ensure that international funding continues, despite a ban on funneling money to Hamas as a recognized terrorist organization. » Read more

After deal, Hamas says activists held in West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Tom Perry - May 5, 2011 - 12:00am Six Hamas sympathisers have been detained by Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank since rival groups concluded a deal aimed at reconciliation, a Hamas source said on Thursday. The detentions in the Hebron and Nablus area underline the challenges facing implementation of the reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah, which is headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. » Read more

CUNY nixes Tony Kushner honorary degree over Israel statements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) May 4, 2011 - 12:00am The City University of New York has voted not to honor playwright Tony Kushner with an honorary degree at its commencement after a board member objected, citing the Pulitzer Prize winner's statements on Israel. The New York Jewish Week reported that the request by CUNY's John Jay College to recognize Kushner was turned down at a board of trustees meeting Monday after board member Jeffrey Wiesenfeld objected. Kushner would have been eligible to speak at the graduation ceremony. » Read more

Fayyad says unity deal must be implemented swiftly ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 5, 2011 - 12:00am Caretaker West Bank Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Wednesday welcomed a surprise unity accord between Fatah and Hamas but stressed the deal must be implemented on the ground immediately. His words were echoed by fellow Third Way party member and PLO leader Hanan Ashrawi, who said the move "reinforces today’s pursuit of democracy in the Middle East, and marks an important step towards Palestinian statehood and lasting peace." » Read more

Jewish Dems: Don’t let Hamas-Fatah prevent peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) May 4, 2011 - 12:00am The National Jewish Democratic Council counseled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to use the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation to back down from peacemaking. » Read more

Netanyahu due for May 20 White House talks ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency May 5, 2011 - 12:00am President Barack Obama will host Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Oval Office talks on May 20, with the stalled Middle East peace process expected to top the agenda. "The leaders look forward to discussing the full range of issues of mutual interest to the United States and Israel," the White House said in a statement. » Read more