Palestinians isolated and short of funds -Fayyad
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Samia Nakhoul, Michael Stott - (Interview) May 8, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 8 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Tuesday the Palestinians may have "lost the argument" on the international stage for an independent state but cautioned that continued Israeli occupation was unsustainable. In an interview with Reuters, Fayyad struck a note of discord with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by calling for elections that have long been delayed because of deep political divisions between the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

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Fatah official: Fayyad will keep PM post after reshuffle
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said Sunday that current Palestinian Authority premier Salam Fayyad is certain to remain head of the government after the coming ministerial reshuffle. President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to announce the new cabinet by Tuesday, his adviser said earlier. Al-Ahmad confirmed earlier reports that Fayyad will keep the prime ministerial post. He cautioned about any discussion about elections, calling it "premature".

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Fatah says Cairo meetings with Hamas over reconciliation failed
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)
May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

The recent meetings with Hamas held in Cairo accomplished nothing toward Palestinian reconciliation, Fatah central committee member Azzam al-Ahmed said Monday. Egyptian officials and Hamas leaders held several meetings to consider ways to achieve reconciliation between Palestinian factions, Ahmed told the official Palestinian radio. Hamas has not yet responded.

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Abbas, Fayyad agree on new PA cabinet
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - May 7, 2012 - 12:00am

A new Palestinian Authority cabinet is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, sources in Ramallah said Monday evening. They said that the new cabinet will be headed by current Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The sources said that Nabil Qassis, the former president of Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, will replace Fayyad as finance minister. The new cabinet will be formed in accordance with an agreement recently reached between Fayyad and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

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The Visionary
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New Republic
by Ben Birnbaum - (Opinion) May 4, 2012 - 12:00am

If you were to pinpoint one moment when it looked as if things just might work out for Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, it would probably be February 2, 2010. That day, Fayyad addressed the annual Herzliya Conference, a sort of Israeli version of Davos featuring high-powered policymakers and intellectuals. It is not a typical speaking venue for Palestinians; yet Fayyad was warmly received.

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The Visionary
Media Mention of Ghaith al-Omari In The New Republic - May 4, 2012 - 12:00am

If you were to pinpoint one moment when it looked as if things just might work out for Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, it would probably be February 2, 2010. That day, Fayyad addressed the annual Herzliya Conference, a sort of Israeli version of Davos featuring high-powered policymakers and intellectuals. It is not a typical speaking venue for Palestinians; yet Fayyad was warmly received.

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Fatah official meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad leaders in Cairo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 3, 2012 - 12:00am

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad on Wednesday held separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal and secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad movement, Ma'an's correspondent said. Al-Ahmad, who heads Fatah's dialogue team, met with Mashaal to discuss the reconciliation process. Egyptian officials attended the meeting, which focused on the need to form a unity government.

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PA Communications Minister to Resign
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 27, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority communications minister intends to resign from Salam Fayyad's government, according to sources in Ramallah. Fayyad was expected to accept Mashour Abu Daka's resignation Thursday, the sources said. A Palestinian Authority spokesman could not confirm Fayyad's position. In his letter of resignation, seen by Ma'an, the minister said Fayyad's government had already resigned. He called the decision personal and "necessary to put an end to the waiting." The minister said it had been "a great privilege" to serve in the cabinet.

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PalTel: No choice in Web censorship orders
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by George Hale - April 26, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The largest telecommunications company in the occupied territories has no choice but to enforce orders issued by the Palestinian Authority, its chief executive said Wednesday. Ammar Aker says PalTel conducts its operations in compliance with regulatory and legal instructions, but has no further involvement in decisions imposed by the government. "Our role is to implement those orders and instructions and not to enter into such matters that the company cannot deal with or accept to be part of," Aker said in an emailed statement.

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US concerned by Palestinian Web blocking
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 25, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The United States said Wednesday it was concerned by efforts to restrict Palestinian access to information on the Internet and would raise the issue with the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority recently began blocking access to as many as eight opposition news websites, according to Palestinian officials who oppose the decision.

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