April 28th

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

Hamas urged to 'come clean' on dead detainee ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Authorities in the Gaza Strip should order a criminal investigation into the death of a man who died five days after Hamas security officials arrested him, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. Relatives of Adel Razeq, a 52-year-old father of nine, say that when security officials arrested him on April 14, they did not present a warrant and took him away under false pretenses. When his brother examined the body, it was badly bruised and appeared to have broken bones, he says. » Read more

Palestinian security fire near Israeli patrol ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Palestinian national security forces fired toward Israeli military vehicles in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian security sources said. There were no reports of injury in the incident, which came as military jeeps pulled up near the Palestinian security building at the northern entrance of Tulkarem, the sources said. The governor of Tulkarem, Dalal Dweikat, denied any fire toward Israeli forces saying only that a Palestinian security officer misfired a single bullet in the same area as an Israeli patrol passed. "Things are calm and there are no developments," he said. » Read more

PNA probes reports on Palestinians held in Guantanamo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 27, 2011 - 12:00am The Palestinian National Authority is looking into reports that a number of Palestinians are held in the U.S.-run prison in Cuba, Palestinian Minister of Prisoners' Affairs Eissa Qaraqe said Tuesday. The minister told Voice of Palestine Radio that the PNA will contact the International Committee for the Red Cross about the reports that Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are detained in Guantanamo prison. » Read more

Not resolving the Palestinian issue will fuel violence in Middle East: Jordan's king ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 27, 2011 - 12:00am Jordanian King Abdullah II said Tuesday that not finding a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue will increase violence and exacerbate instability in the Middle East, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Calling for intensified efforts by the United States and the international community to realize tangible progress in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Abdullah II underlined the need to remove obstacles against resuming the peace process. » Read more

Israel denies report on Netanyahu's proposed peace initiative ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua April 26, 2011 - 12:00am An alleged meeting between Israel's chief peace negotiator Yitzhak Molcho and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, in which details of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic initiative were reportedly discussed, had never taken place, Netanyahu's bureau clarified in a statement issued Tuesday. "No secret meeting was held and reports regarding its content are clearly baseless," the statement read. » Read more