May 2nd

Fayyad urges international intervention over Israeli freeze on Palestinian taxes ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Salam Fayyad on Sunday urged foreign powers to intervene after Israel froze the transfer of tens of millions of dollars in Palestinian tax money following the formation of a Hamas-Fatah unity government. "Threats ... will not deter us from concluding our reconciliation process. It is our policy and we must work harder to end our divisions as soon as possible," added Fayyad. » Read more

Palestinian reconciliation is good news for Mideast peace ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Akiva Eldar - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am What do they have in common - the hawks of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, the military wing of Hamas; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; his bodyguard, Defense Minister Ehud Barak; and Nobel Peace Prize laureate President Shimon Peres ? They all threw a fit over the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. » Read more

Palestinian reconciliation may lead to Israel's Palestinian separation ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Amira Hass - (Opinion) May 2, 2011 - 12:00am As someone who considers herself to be a conservative journalist, I make an effort to refrain from reporting about what will happen in the future. Too many headlines, in my opinion, are about what so-and-so will say and what the fate of so-and-so will be. In the face of competition from the Internet and television, the printed press, afraid of becoming irrelevant, is often forced into making predictions. "I forgot my crystal ball at home" - is how I respond to the question "What will be?" I prefer to focus on what has been done and been said today and yesterday. » Read more

Opening of Rafah crossing offers Israel challenges ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - May 1, 2011 - 12:00am The Egyptian government's recent decision to open the Rafah border crossing point, the only land route into the Gaza Strip that doesn't pass through the Israeli territory, has left Israel scrambling for a response. Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, Israel has imposed a land and maritime blockade on the enclave. » Read more

Hamas mourns bin Laden's death ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Hamas on Monday condemned the killing by US forces of Osama bin Laden and mourned him as an "Arab holy warrior" while Iran condemned "Zionist terror" and a US national security official told Reuters the mission of the special forces team that hunted down the terrorist had been to kill him. "This was a kill operation," the official said, making clear there was no desire to try to capture bin Laden alive in Pakistan. » Read more

Israel's Likud hard-liners calls for annexing West Bank ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 1, 2011 - 12:00am Amid ongoing Palestinian efforts to unilaterally obtain recognition of statehood in the United Nations in September, members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led cabinet are reiterating calls for Israel to respond with a unilateral annexation of the West Bank. "If they take steps, we will take steps. I think that we need to immediately annex all of the territories on the same day (the UN declares the establishment of Palestine)," Welfare and Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon told an audience at a meeting of the Likud's young leadership forum on April 28. » Read more

No "final decision" yet on Palestinian tax freeze: Israeli officials ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua May 2, 2011 - 12:00am Israeli officials remained close- mouthed Monday after Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz announced a day earlier a decision to freeze the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) following the reconciliation accord between Fatah and Hamas. Steinitz, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many other senior Israeli officials, have slammed the interim unity government deal reached between Hamas and the Fatah-ruled PNA last week in Cairo, and vowed not to negotiate with Hamas, which Israel maintains is a terrorist organization. » Read more

Fatah denies Fayyad will not continue as PM ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews April 29, 2011 - 12:00am The chief of a Fatah delegation to truce talks with Hamas, Azzam al-Ahmed, denied in an interview the New York Times that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad would not be continuing in office. He said the Cairo talks regarding the truce agreement had not focused at all on members of the transition government.

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. » Read more

The prime minister’s speech ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Tzachi Hanegbi - (Opinion) May 1, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian Authority’s announcement that a reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas had been signed in Cairo prompted an immediate response from the government. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued the following statement: “The Palestinian Authority must choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas. There cannot be peace with both since Hamas aims to destroy Israel and says so openly.” » Read more