Analysts: Despite Hamas absence, elections still Fatah failure
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 22, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The first elections held in the West Bank for six years reflect how frustrated Palestinians are with their political system and ruling party Fatah, political observers said Sunday. The poll was held on Saturday in 92 of the 353 municipalities in the West Bank. Other seats were uncontested, creating automatic winners, or failed to register any candidates in this round, and will hold polls next month.

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Civic Duty and Economic Worries Drive Palestinian Voters in Parts of West Bank
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - October 21, 2012 - 12:00am

AL BIREH, West Bank — More than half the Palestinians who participated in municipal elections on Saturday said they did so because they saw voting as a civic duty, twice the portion giving the next most popular reason.

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Palestinians, heading to the polls, complain about lack of competition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Karin Brulliard, Sufian Taha - October 19, 2012 - 12:00am

HEBRON, West Bank — When local elections open on Saturday, Palestinians across the West Bank will exercise their right to vote for the first time in six years. Here in this city, the poll will carry even more significance: A long 37 years have passed since residents last cast ballots for their municipal council.

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Can the Palestinian Authority lead with civil disobedience?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Dawoud Abu Lebdeh - (Opinion) October 19, 2012 - 12:00am

Last month, large protests swept through major cities in the West Bank. In some places the demonstrations escalated into destruction of public property and a display of anarchy, while in others they were calm and collected. Peaceful or otherwise, the various demonstrations shared a common grievance: the economic policies of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, recently highlighted after price hikes on main consumer items such as fuel and flour.These protests have called into question whether the Palestinian Authority is still able to lead the Palestinian people.

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Divided Palestinians hold municipal elections without Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Jihan Abdalla - October 18, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Palestinians in the West Bank go to the polls on Saturday in long-delayed municipal elections that have already highlighted deep divisions in the occupied territory and stoked complaints about a lack of leadership. The Oct. 20 ballot will hold up a cracked mirror to a political landscape clouded by financial crises, failure to reconcile the major Palestinian factions and stalemate in peacemaking efforts with Israel.

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Palestinian local elections kick off in West Bank among concerns
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
October 18, 2012 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian municipal elections started in the West Bank Thursday for the first time since 2005 among concerns of excluding the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. The voting on Thursday was allocated for policemen and security staff, and the polling stations will be open for more than 518,000 eligible voters Saturday, Palestinian officials said.

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Abbas’ right decision
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jordan Times
by Ahmad Majdoubeh - (Opinion) October 18, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to talk peace with Israel only after the Palestinian bid for UN non-member state status is accepted is correct.

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Palestinians to vote again after 7-year hiatus
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Gulf News
by Dalia Hatuqa - October 17, 2012 - 12:00am

Ramallah: Just ahead of the much-vaunted local Palestinian elections, tensions flared amidst rivalling campaigners and billboards and brochures peppered the West Bank cities and villages.

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Hamas redefines itself after leaving Syria for new allies
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Dalia Hatuqa - (Opinion) October 17, 2012 - 12:00am

This month, Hamas's political leader Khaled Meshaal took part in a conference hosted by Turkey's ruling AKP party. A commentator on Syria's state-run Al Dunya television channel compared Mr Meshaal to "an orphan" looking for shelter after being rebuffed by other countries, further admonishing the group's leader for his seeming ingratitude to Syria.

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Israeli media misinterpret Abbas' Arabic remarks on Facebook
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
by Abdul-Hakim Salah - October 17, 2012 - 12:00am

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli media on Wednesday misinterpreted a Facebook status by Mahmoud Abbas to suggest the president had abandoned the two-state solution. Discussing the bid to upgrade Palestine to a non-member state at the UN, Abbas posted an Arabic-language status update explaining that recognition of statehood would prove that Palestinian territory is under occupation rather than "disputed" land. The president referred to Palestinian land occupied before 1967 using terminology commonly used to refer to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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