Peace for Israel requires a strong Palestinian Authority
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by Jonas Gahr Store - (Opinion) June 17, 2009 - 12:00am

In Cairo, President Obama made an eloquent plea for peace in the Middle East, with a two-state solution at its heart. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded last week with endorsement of a two-state solution in his speech. Mr. Netanyahu presented demanding and problematic prerequisites for the establishing of a Palestinian state, but the fact remains – the scene is yet again set for political negotiations on a final settlement between Palestinians and Israelis.

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6 Die as Palestinian Authority Forces Clash With Hamas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - June 1, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian Authority forces clashed with Hamas militants in the West Bank early on Sunday, leaving six dead in the bloodiest such encounter in two years. The violence erupted days after the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, assured President Obama in Washington that his troops were imposing order on the area. In Gaza, Hamas reacted by arresting Fatah activists and hinting of further revenge.

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Rift deepens between Palestinian factions
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Omar Karmi - May 21, 2009 - 12:00am

The swearing-in of a new, extended cabinet by Mahmoud Abbas is a “deliberate attempt” to undermine ongoing unity talks in Cairo, Hamas said yesterday. Mr Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, swore in the cabinet on Tuesday evening. The new government, which in effect will rule only over the parts of the occupied West Bank not under direct Israeli control, is headed by Salam Fayyad, who also led the previous Palestinian administration.

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Mr Abbas and a dangerous gambit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
(Editorial) May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

The reappointment of Salam Fayyad, a respected independent, as the Palestinian prime minister should have been a welcome development. The PLO desperately needs a leader aloof from the cronyism and factional strife that define Palestinian politics. Unfortunately that is not the case. If anything, Mr Fayyad risks becoming a victim of naked partisanship.

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Palestinians Try to Prune Branches of Core Party
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Ethan Bronner - (Analysis) May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

There is the Central Committee and the Revolutionary Council, the Old Guard and the Young Guard. There are the insiders, the outsiders, the cell leaders, branch chiefs and district heads. And there is the Office of Mobilization and Discipline, also known as the Office of Indoctrination. Fatah, the core of the Palestinian national movement for five decades, has the organizational transparency of a Soviet republic and was long run like one by its founder, Yasir Arafat. Talk of reform arose after his death five years ago and again when Hamas defeated it in legislative elections in 2006.

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Vote Fatah (or Hamas)
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Khalil Shikaki - (Opinion) May 20, 2009 - 12:00am

THE performance of the Palestinian Authority during the past 17 months has been impressive. It has managed against the odds to restore order in the West Bank to a degree not seen in many years. And it has confronted and disarmed nationalist and Islamist groups. Corruption is also not as rampant as it was a few years ago.

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It's not up to Israelis to determine the status of Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star
by Daoud Kuttab - (Opinion) May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

As the summit between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches, most of the discussion has focused on whether or not the newly elected Israeli leader will finally say that he backs a two-state solution. This is the wrong approach. Israelis should not determine the status of the Palestinian entity, nor should Palestinians have a say in what Israelis call their own state.

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Fatah unrest scraps new gov't plans
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - May 14, 2009 - 12:00am

The swearing-in ceremony for the new Palestinian government headed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad scheduled to take place on Tuesday has been postponed by several days due to widespread objection within Fatah regarding its makeup. Fatah is demanding control over the appointment of its members to the cabinet rather than the current arrangement, which grants Fayyad sole power.

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Abbas may form new govt before US visit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Mohammed Mar’i - April 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may form a “new government” within 10 day, senior Palestinian officials said yesterday. The officials told the independent Palestinian news agency Ma’an that Abbas “may be forced to form the new government before he heads for talks in Washington with US President Barack Obama on May 28.” The development came a day after the rival Hamas and Fatah movements decided to adjourn the current round of Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo to May 16-17.

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Hamas to Reject New Palestinian Government
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
April 30, 2009 - 12:00am

Mahmoud Hamas says it will reject any new Palestinian government, expected to be formed shortly, if the new cabinet does not get the approval of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), effectively the Palestinian parliament. A Hamas spokesman was quoted by Xinhua, saying any new government formed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas, which is not approved by the PLC, is illegal and unconstitutional.

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