Mashaal to meet Jordan king, sources say
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 28, 2013 - 1:00am

Hamas' chief-in-exile Khalid Mashaal will meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday, Jordanian sources said. Senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishiq told Ma'an Sunday that Mashaal had arrived in Amman for an official visit to Jordan, without providing further details. Jordanian sources told Ma'an that the Hamas chief is expected to discuss Palestinian reconciliation with the Jordanian king and other officials.

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Hamas says next inter-Palestinian talks in Egypt
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Jamal Halaby - January 28, 2013 - 1:00am

AMMAN, Jordan — Reconciliation talks between Palestinian militant group Hamas and its rival Fatah are on track and will resume in Egypt on Feb. 9, Hamas' political leader said Monday. Khalid Mashaal said that "obstacles" over crucial issues such as elections and a future government remain, but that he expected progress in talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

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Egypt’s MB Pressuring Hamas Chief to Continue
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Asharq Alawsat
January 28, 2013 - 1:00am

The Hamas movement has postponed selecting a new Political Bureau chief in a clear bid to persuade incumbent, Khalid Mishal, to nominate himself for a fifth term. An Informed Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that delaying the convening of the Hamas Shura Council is meant to give Arab, Palestinian, and Islamic parties’ more time to pressure Mishal to change his mind.

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PA official: Female dress code at Gaza university 'illegal'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
January 27, 2013 - 1:00am

The Palestinian Authority Minister of Higher Education on Sunday issued an official condemnation over a Gaza university's decision to implement an "Islamic" dress code for female students. Al-Aqsa University president Salam al-Agha told Ma'an Sunday that the code, which is set to be implemented when the new semester begins, 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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Mahmoud Abbas attends AU summit, reiterates position on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 27, 2013 - 1:00am




Mahmoud Abbas attends AU summit, reiterates position on Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
January 27, 2013 - 1:00am

Leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday attended the African Union Summit as a special guest and restated Palestine's policy, calling Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory. Abbas was speaking in Addis Ababa during the opening of the 20th African Union Summit at which some 40 African heads of state and government and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon were present.

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The Palestinian Implosion
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Ghaith Al-Omari, Ziad Asali - (Opinion) January 4, 2013 - 1:00am

  Three years ago, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched an ambitious plan to build effective, responsive, and clean government institutions. The results were impressive, and Fayyad was hailed as a figure who was making true progress toward a two-state solution even as formal negotiations faltered.

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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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Public sector union announces strikes across West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
December 18, 2012 - 1:00am

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority civil servants union on Monday accused Israel of collective punishment for withholding Palestinian tax revenues and announced strike action over non-payment of salaries. Union chief Bassam Zakarneh said government employees would strike from noon Tuesday until the end of the week.Civil servants have not received November salaries and cannot afford transport to get to work, Zakarneh added.

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Palestinian poll: Hamas' Haniyeh would win PA presidency over Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amira Hass - December 17, 2012 - 1:00am

If elections for Palestinian president were to take place today, and the candidates were Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh would win, a new Palestinian public opinion poll reveals. According to the poll, published on Monday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), headed by Khalil Shikaki, some 48 percent of the electorate would vote for Haniyeh, compared with 45 percent to Abbas.

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