Hamas backs Egypt's plan for thaw with Fatah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 21, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas gave its tentative support Tuesday to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the Islamist movement and the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas amid a looming constitutional crisis. "We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some "modification" before it could be implemented. "The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership," he said.

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Abbas relents, appoints Tirawi as senior advisor
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

Tensions are mounting in the Palestinian Authority ahead of a reshuffling of its security brass as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is adamant to replace Tawfik Tirawi, head of the PA General Intelligence Service in the West Bank, and Diab al-Ali, commander of the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. A senior Palestinian security official told Ynet on Tuesday that in one month's time Tirawi will step aside for his deputy.

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Hamas Welcomes Egypt Plan for Palestinian Unity
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Agence France Presse (AFP)
October 20, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas on Tuesday gave its tentative support to an Egyptian plan to reconcile the Islamist movement and the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. "We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, but he added that the plan would require some "modification" before it could be implemented. "The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need modification and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership."

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Tension in Ramallah as Abbas dismisses Tirawi
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Ali Waked - October 19, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued an decree on Monday evening ordering the dismissal of Col. Tawfik Tirawi, head of the PA General Intelligence Service in the West Bank, and Diab al-Ali, the top commander of the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Al-Ali is also known as Abu al-Fatah. The unforeseen move has stirred considerable tensions amongst the ranks of Ramallah's security forces.

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PA forces arrest 13 Hamas men in West Bank cities
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Arab News
by Mohammed Mar’i - October 15, 2008 - 8:00pm

Hamas movement yesterday said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrested 13 of its members and loyalists in several West Bank cities. Hamas said in a press statement that its members and loyalists, including university students, were arrested in the cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, and Qalqilya. Abbas’ forces have been cracking down on Hamas after the movement violently seized control over Gaza Strip in June 2007 after it ousted Abbas forces and senior members of his Fatah movement.

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Hamas-Fatah tensions rising
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Alex Fishman - October 14, 2008 - 8:00pm

The nearing end of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' tenure has the defense establishment on edge, as it has formed a joined team with the Shin Bet and the Foreign Ministry to prepare for January 9 – Abbas' last day as Palestinian Authority president. The main concern is intelligence indicating that Hamas' military wing may begin targeting senior Fatah and Palestinian security officials via abductions and assassination attempts.

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PA forces foil suicide bombing bid by Hebron terrorists
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff - October 5, 2008 - 8:00pm

Palestinian security forces have thwarted an attempted suicide bombing within the Green Line, Palestinian sources told Haaretz recently. The security service in the West Bank arrested two senior wanted members of Hamas' military wing in Hebron, who were found in possession of weapons and an explosives belt, the sources said. The suspects, who were arrested three weeks ago, were also in possession of a great deal of cash, which they were thought to be planning to use in carrying out the attack.

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Egypt seeks ways to end Fatah-Hamas rift
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh - October 5, 2008 - 8:00pm

A senior Hamas delegation is scheduled to arrive in Cairo Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials on ways of ending the Hamas-Fatah power struggle. Headed by Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, the delegation is expected to hold a series of meetings with Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman and other senior Egyptian government officials over the next few days. The visit to Cairo is the first of its kind by a high-level Hamas delegation in several months.

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Beyond Law and Order in Jenin
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Israel Policy Forum
by Sadie Goldman - September 24, 2008 - 8:00pm

"There is no mistaking the fact that this is a different kind of Jenin.? Instead of armed gangs that once controlled the streets, "one could sense the overwhelming presence of the Palestinian security force,? Amos Harel and Avi Issacharov wrote in Haaretzthis week.

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A Precarious Coexistence?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Ali Jarbawi - (Opinion) September 21, 2008 - 8:00pm

It is difficult to conceive of two more natural enemies than Hamas and the Zionist movement that dominates Israeli politics. In their different ways, each is rhetorically committed to the destruction of the other. However, their relationship is much more complex and symbiotic than a casual observer might expect.

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