Hamas arrests cell about to open fire on IDF
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - April 12, 2010 - 12:00am

The Hamas government's internal security force in the Gaza Strip released a cell of gunmen Monday who had planned to open fire on an IDF force operating near the border fence. Sources from the Islamic Jihad reported to Ynet that members of the cell – made up of members of Islamic Jihad's military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, and the Nabil Massoud cell, which is one of the armed groups of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades – were released after they committed in writing not to continue these types of activities.

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Palestinian official in sex tape scandal denies he abused his position
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian
by Rory McCarthy - April 12, 2010 - 12:00am

A disgraced senior Palestinian official at the centre of a sex tape scandal claims he was entrapped and says he has not abused his position.

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Palestinian PM stresses local elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 7, 2010 - 12:00am

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday stressed that municipal elections would be carried out to pave the way for legislative and presidency elections. "The local municipal and village councils must be elected and their authority should be rotating," Fayyad said during an inauguration ceremony in Ramallah. He added that elections are a key part of his two-year plan to upgrade national institutions to be ready for a possible declaration of a Palestinian statehood next year.

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Statehood bid forces Israel to pay attention
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) April 7, 2010 - 12:00am

There are several sure-fire ways for Palestinians to get Israel’s attention to their grievances. One is to carry out military attacks, including suicide bombings. Another is to threaten to abolish the Palestinian Authority, saying in effect to Israel: “You want to collect our garbage and clean our streets? Go ahead.” It’s a third way, however, that has succeeded in really getting under Israel’s skin recently. By again floating the idea of unilaterally declaring an independent state, Palestinian officials have sent their Israeli counterparts into convulsions.

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Inquiry clears Al-Husseini of corruption
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
April 6, 2010 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas informed his former chief of staff Rafiq Al-Husseini Monday that an inquiry had cleared him of charges of nepotism, blackmail, and corruption, but that he was dismissed for "tainting" his office with personal mistakes. The outcome of the inquiry was relayed to Al-Husseini in a letter, who released a statement saying detailing its contents. "I [Abbas] certify that your performance as a chief of staff was excellent and professional, and valuable accomplishments were achieved during your term," Al-Hussein said the letter read.

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Israeli FM warns Palestinians not to declare state
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Matti Friedman - April 6, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel's hard-line foreign minister warned Palestinians against plans to unilaterally declare independence next year, saying in an interview Tuesday that such a move could prompt Israel to annex parts of the West Bank and annul past peace agreements. Avigdor Lieberman also made harsh comments about Turkey, Israel's increasingly alienated ally, saying the Turkish prime minister was coming to resemble Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Lieberman, who heads an ultranationalist party, has become known for a belligerent tone that has earned him critics abroad and inside Israel.

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EU pays 21 million euros for PNA servants' salaries
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
April 6, 2010 - 12:00am

The European Union announced on Monday that it provided the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) with 21 million euros to pay the salaries of working and retired civil servants in the West Bank and Gaza. Christian Burger, the EU representative in Ramallah said in a press release e-mailed to reporters that around 85,000 Palestinian employees would get their salaries for March paid. "The 21 million Euros are part of a European agreement reached with the Palestinian side to pay 158.5 million euros to the Palestinian National Authority during the year 2010," said Burger.

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Textbooks, Grasshoppers, and the Question of Incitement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Huffington Post
by Ghassan Khatib - (Opinion) April 5, 2010 - 12:00am

There is a great opportunity in the next few months to reach a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. This may seem a surprising view just now, but there is a competent and responsible Palestinian government in place which is serious about establishing a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel. And there is strong public support for this objective. The evidence is all around you if you come to see the reality.

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Fatah: We want a peaceful intifada
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - April 2, 2010 - 12:00am

The new “popular intifada” that Fatah is planning in the West Bank won’t be an armed one, Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official, said on Thursday. Shaath’s clarification came a day after he and some of his colleagues in Fatah called on Palestinians to escalate the “popular resistance” in protest against the settlements, the West Bank security barrier and the decision to build new homes in east Jerusalem.

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Changing course, Fatah officials call for Palestinian protests against Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Ilene Prusher - April 1, 2010 - 12:00am

Senior officials in Fatah, the mainstream faction of the PLO, have for several years taken a backseat approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- leaving negotiations to a few leaders at the top and demonstrations to the grass-roots activists on the street.

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