Gaza university introduces dress code for women
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 27, 2013 - 1:00am

A university in the Gaza Strip announced this week that female students must abide by an "Islamic" dress code, causing uproar from Palestinian groups and students themselves. Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City will implement the dress regulations when the new semester begins. University president Salam al-Agha clarified to Ma'an that the code does not require the jilbab (full-length coat) or niqab (face-veil), but rather what he termed dress befitting of the university. He said students would not be expelled for violations of the dress code.

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Despite results of Israeli elections, Palestinians still don’t see a partner for peace in Jerusalem
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Zvi Barel - (Opinion) January 25, 2013 - 1:00am

Hamas knows that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost big in the recent elections, but it also knows that whatever government emerges from coalition-building talks in Jerusalem is not going to be any more open to negotiating with the Palestinians.


Hamas Maintains Ties With Iran Despite Difference Over Syria
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Abeer Ayyoub - January 25, 2013 - 1:00am

The positive outcomes of the Arab uprisings far outweighed the negatives for Gaza’s ruling Islamists, Hamas. The revolts led to the rise of fellow Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia, allowing Hamas to open up to the regional environment. But the ongoing uprising in Syria did not fit well for Hamas, which found itself caught between two hard options: siding with President Bashar al-Assad and thus losing popular support in other Arab countries, or showing solidarity with the Syrian people and losing Iran, Hamas' main financial backer.

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In Gaza, surge of support for Hamas starts to fade
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Scott Wilson - December 30, 2012 - 1:00am

JABALYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Strung across chaotic streets and through mazes of yard-wide alleys, the iconic green flags of the Islamic Resistance Movement, better known as Hamas, festoon the gray acres of cement-block buildings.

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Hamas and Fatah No Closer To Settling Their Differences
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor
by Dalia Hatuqa - (Opinion) December 17, 2012 - 1:00am

Amid the unprecedented West Bank celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hamas’ founding, questions are arising as to whether the Islamist Movement and Fatah are finally one step closer to reconciling their political differences. 

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Hamas subdued despite Gaza victory claim-Israeli military
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Dan Williams - December 14, 2012 - 1:00am

JERUSALEM, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Israel's offensive on Gaza has deterred Hamas from new hostilities despite its claims of victory and the front is now at its quietest in 20 years, a senior Israeli military officer said. Vastly lopsided shelling exchanges over eight days killed 170 Palestinians and 6 Israelis before the Nov. 21 truce brokered by Egypt.

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Hamas announces second day of West Bank rallies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 14, 2012 - 1:00am

TULKAREM (Ma'an) -- Hamas will hold rallies in the West Bank on Friday in the second day of its celebrations to mark the movement's 25th anniversary. On Thursday, thousands turned out in Nablus to celebrate the founding of Hamas, the first time Hamas was authorized to hold a mass political event in the West Bank by the Fatah-dominated government.

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In Step Toward Palestinian Unity, Hamas Holds Rally in West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - December 13, 2012 - 1:00am

NABLUS, West Bank — Hundreds of men and boys sporting the signature green of the militant Hamas faction marched through the narrow alleys of the old city here on Thursday afternoon, calling for Palestinian unity but also renewed attacks on Israeli cities, in the first public demonstration by the Islamist party allowed in the West Bank in years.

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Truce brings extra gleam to Gaza marketplace
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Nidal al-Mughrabi - December 13, 2012 - 1:00am

GAZA, Dec 13 (Reuters) - The horizon of the claustrophobic Gaza Strip stretches further out to sea after a bloody eight-day battle last month and its main market gleams with extra supplies of locally-caught fish. In a low-key move it has yet to acknowledge, Israel moved a naval blockade it imposed in 2009 back to six miles (10 km) from the Palestinian enclave's coast from three on Nov 23, two days after signing an Egypt-brokered truce with Gaza's Hamas rulers.

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After Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Jonathan Schanzer - (Opinion) December 13, 2012 - 1:00am

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas went to the United Nations last month and brought his people one step closer to statehood. But amid all the fanfare, Western diplomats quietly conceded that the General Assembly vote to upgrade the Palestinians' U.N. mission was not simply a step taken to advance their national project. It also reflected a desire to counter Hamas's growing influence, particularly after the Gaza-based terrorist group claimed victory in its war with Israel in November.

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