Circus of the Dancing Bears
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Foreign Policy
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Watching the current Hamas-Fatah unity circus, I can't help but think of Rabin's comment. For the former Israeli prime minister, Yasir Arafat was the bear and the Oslo process was their choreographed dance. Rabin was no sentimentalist and he recognized Arafat's many weaknesses as a partner, but he continued to engage with him because he believed his counterpart had taken tough positions. Oslo was a good faith effort to achieve a goal.

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Factional tensions cause unity ink delay
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Hamas leader in exile Khalid Mash'al's insistence on delivering a speech at the signing ceremony of unity documents in Cairo on Wednesday delayed the start of the historic event by more than an hour, sources told Ma'an. Sources said President, PLO leader and Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas would be the only Palestinian figure to speak at the event, but tensions rose when Mash'al said that he - as the representative of Hamas - would also like to address the audience.

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Amr Moussa: Palestinian reconciliation will pressure Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Masry Al-Youm
May 4, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian reconciliation leaves Israel with no excuse for not engaging more seriously in peace negotiations, outgoing Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Wednesday. In an interview published in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a London-based newspaper, Moussa said the Arab League will support the implementation of the Palestinian reconciliation on the ground. Palestinian factions yesterday signed a reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah that Hamas had signed last week. Egypt helped broker the agreement, which was signed in Cairo.

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Smaller Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, back Hamas-Fatah reconciliation
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

A top Palestinian negotiator says 15 smaller factions, including militant Islamic groups, have thrown their weight behind a reconciliation deal ending a four-year rift between the movement’s main groups, Hamas and Fatah. Under a framework accord reached last week between Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Fatah in the West Bank, a unity caretaker government will be formed ahead of elections next year.

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Palestinian factions sign unity deal in Cairo
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian factions gathered in Cairo on Tuesday signed a reconciliation deal that will pave the way for elections within a year, an AFP correspondent said. Representatives of 13 factions, including President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and its rival Hamas, as well as independent political figures inked the deal following talks with Egyptian officials. A formal signing ceremony will be held on Wednesday, and will be attended by Hamas chief Khalid Mash'al and President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Not a finished product
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Yossi Alpher - (Blog) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

The Fateh-Hamas reconciliation announced last week is yet another by-product of the revolutionary wave sweeping the Arab world. As such, it is not a finished product: it is subject to change and evolution. Moreover, in the particular case of the Palestinians, we may also witness changes in the reconciliation process that reflect the shifting tactical calculations of the two partners, much as we have seen in their relationship ever since the 2006 Palestinian elections. Indeed, one difficulty in understanding this new departure is the lack of total clarity regarding both sides' motives.

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Palestinian unity drive has Israeli price tag
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Mohammed Assadi - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Palestinian government workers fear pay cuts this month after Israel halted transfer of tax revenues in response to a deal to reunite the two rival wings of the Palestinian independence movement. But many believe the surprise agreement between President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah faction and Hamas Islamists in Gaza will be worth the price if it brings statehood closer. Israel refuses to deal with Hamas, which does not recognise the Jewish state. The two came close to a second war last month.

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Text of the Agreement between Fatah and Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from
May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

Translated by Al Mubadara, the Palestinian National Initiative, this document is currently in the process of being signed by all of Palestine’s factions and parties. Under the auspices of Egypt, delegations from the Fatah and Hamas movements met in Cairo on April 27, 2011 to discuss the issues concerning ending the political division and the achievement of national unity. On top of the issues were some reservations related to the Palestinian National Unity Accord made in 2009.

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The Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Agreement
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Institute For National Security Studies- Tel Aviv University
by Shlomo Brom - May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

The Egyptian announcement of April 27 that Fatah and Hamas reached an agreement on reconciliation took many people by surprise, including Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who himself did not believe that Hamas would accept the Egyptian reconciliation offer. Israel and the United States, who have factored the rift between Fatah and Hamas as a central element in their policies, were likewise surprised. Against this background, several major questions about the reconciliation agreement emerge. What moved the parties to change their positions and reach an accord?

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Support the Palestinian unity government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by Jimmy Carter - (Opinion) May 3, 2011 - 12:00am

This is a decisive moment. Under the auspices of the Egyptian government, Palestine’s two major political movements — Fatah and Hamas — are signing a reconciliation agreement on Wednesday that will permit both to contest elections for the presidency and legislature within a year. If the United States and the international community support this effort, they can help Palestinian democracy and establish the basis for a unified Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza that can make a secure peace with Israel.

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