April 28th

US lawmakers say Hamas-Fatah unity gov't threatens aid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post April 28, 2011 - 12:00am Lawmakers in the US responded overnight Wednesday to news that Hamas and Fatah have formed a unity government by threatening to withhold aid to Gaza. US Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), the top Democrat serving on the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, released a statement saying that the deal, which does not require Hamas to recognize Israel, "is a recipe for failure, mixed with violence, leading to disaster." "It is a ghastly mistake that I fear will be paid for in the lives of innocent Israelis," Ackerman said. » Read more

Palestinians launch their revolution ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post by Jackson Diehl - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am It’s not yet certain that a political deal announced Wednesday by the long-divided Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions will stick--similar pacts have been proclaimed and then discarded several times in the last four years. But one thing is sure: If Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas moves forward with the reconciliation with the Islamic Hamas movement, it will mean he has written off the Obama administration and the peace process it has tried to broker, once and for all. » Read more

Reconciliation Deal by Rival Factions Forces U.S. to Reconsider Aid to Palestinians ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Steven Lee Myers - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The announced reconciliation on Wednesday between Fatah and Hamas, the estranged Palestinian movements, puts the Obama administration in the uncomfortable position of having to reconsider its financial support for the Palestinian Authority, including millions of dollars the United States has spent to train and equip Palestinian security forces, officials and members of Congress said. » Read more

Rattling the Cage: Beware of flying Arabs! ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Larry Derfner - (Opinion) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Do you know that Israeli Arabs are getting on crowded buses every day, sitting among Jews, and no one is checking to see if they’re terrorists? Hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs are riding these mixed buses every day, many of them carrying bags and wearing coats, and nobody’s checking their ID, making them go through a metal detector or asking them a single question. If this isn’t an existential threat, I don’t know what is. » Read more

Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, announced Wednesday that they were putting aside years of bitter rivalry to create an interim unity government and hold elections within a year, a surprise move that promised to reshape the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. "It is time for the Palestinian people to reject the corrupt and useless leaders who have used violence and strife to insure their positions. It is also time for Israel to reject the extreme factions of their government." » Read more

Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times by Ethan Bronner, Isabel Kershner - April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, announced Wednesday that they were putting aside years of bitter rivalry to create an interim unity government and hold elections within a year, a surprise move that promised to reshape the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East. "It is time for the Palestinian people to reject the corrupt and useless leaders who have used violence and strife to insure their positions. It is also time for Israel to reject the extreme factions of their government." » Read more

White House: Palestinian unity gov’t must renounce terror, accept Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Reacting to news that rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas had agreed to a reconciliation deal, the Obama government said any Palestinian unity government must accept Israel's right to exist and renounce terrorism -- conditions that Hamas does not meet. The surprise deal to form an interim government and hold general elections within a year was reached Wednesday in secret negotiations in Cairo between the two sides, according to reports. A formal announcement of the reconciliation reportedly will be made next week. » Read more

Will Palestine be born this fall? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 28, 2011 - 12:00am The chances for the birth of a Palestinian state this fall appear to be 50-50. The world community, including the US, seems to favour the idea, but there is clearly a lack of political will and muscle that would push Israel to seriously negotiate the emergence of Palestine. At the same time, major countries, especially the US, do not show enthusiasm for a unilateral declaration coupled with a UN birth certificate. » Read more

Will Palestine be born this fall? ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) April 28, 2011 - 12:00am The chances for the birth of a Palestinian state this fall appear to be 50-50. The world community, including the US, seems to favour the idea, but there is clearly a lack of political will and muscle that would push Israel to seriously negotiate the emergence of Palestine. At the same time, major countries, especially the US, do not show enthusiasm for a unilateral declaration coupled with a UN birth certificate. » Read more

April 27th

Gaza govt urges ministry against torture ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday night that he had designated his Minister of the Interior to reinforce rules against torture, following an outcry over the death of a detainee earlier in April. "There is good treatment of inmates in our prisons," Haniyeh said in a statement, adding that following concern from rights organizations, the minister would again instruct all security departments and interrogators about Gaza's prohibitions on the use of torture. » Read more