Reconstruction to boost Abbas
The United States hopes to use post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to help the Western-backed Palestinian Authority reassert its presence in Gaza. The aim is to ensure that President Mahmoud...
View ArticleDe facto interior minister assassinated
Said Siyam, interior minister in the de facto government in Gaza was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike. Siyam formed the Executive Forces, a Hamas-controlled security force, after Hamas’ electoral...
View ArticlePFLP on president’s legitimacy and other issues
On being asked by Maan News about the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Abbas, whose term ended on 9 January, PFLP states that the only Palestinian legitimacy that matters now is the legitimacy of...
View ArticleHamas traffic police back in streets
In Gaza, Hamas traffic police and security men are out in the street as a visible symbol of the Hamas administration’s authority. The Israeli military strikes in Gaza have destroyed the compounds of...
View ArticlePM Fayyad fears reconstruction mechanism will widen split
European leaders and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have offered to set up an interim international committee that would fund and organise aid directed towards reconstruction of the...
View ArticleAbbas now considered ex-president
Minister of justice Mohamed Al-Ghoul in the de facto government in Gaza has issued a press release stating that “any actions, decisions or obligations made by former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas, whose term...
View ArticleHamas sticks to rule in Gaza
Hamas wants to keep ruling in Gaza, and not to return to its previous role as a pure resistance movement. Read: International Herald Tribune, “Parsing gains of the war in Gaza,” 19 January 2009,...
View ArticleNathan J. Brown: Impossible to work with the Palestinian Authority and avoid...
In a recent web commentary, Nathan J. Brown cracks down on several myths involving the legitimacy of the Ramallah based governemnt as constituting the PA, the feasibility of elections and the...
View ArticleEgypt urges fast aid
While Egypt urges EU to offer fast aid to Palestinians, the EU asks for a Palestinian unity government that will be able to use the funds collected. Read: Reuters Alertnet, “Egypt urges EU to offer...
View ArticleGaza cabinet picking up the pieces
Headed by prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas government in Gaza is working to reassert control. The government has started handing out cash, and the security forces are back on the streets. In...
View ArticleReconciliation talks in Cairo
For the first time in ten months, Palestinian officials from Hamas and Fatah have met in Cairo to pave the way for possible reconciliation after Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Read: Reuters Alertnet,...
View ArticlePossibility of unity talks in February
Egypt has proposed 22 February as a starting date for a new round of unity talks between the Palestinian factions. Read: Reuters Alertnet, “Egypt proposes Feb 22 for Palestinian talks,” 27 January...
View Article79,4 percent would attend legislations
According to a new poll conducted by researchers at An-Najah National University in Nablus, 79,4 percent of the Palestinian electorate will participate in upcoming parliamentary elections. 79 percent...
View ArticleFayyad proposes aid route
Palestinian caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayayd in Ramallh has proposed that donors transfer aid to gaza through Palestinian commercial banks of via the Palestinian Authority. The United States and...
View ArticleShalit-deal may bring down Abbas
According to Palestinian officials, a deal over the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would trigger early elections in the territories, in which case Hamas might win both legislative and...
View ArticleSolana supports unity talks
EU’s top diplomat, Javier Solana, has visited the Gaza Strip. While Solana maintained the EU policy of avoiding contacts or meetings with Hamas rulers, he voiced support for efforts to end the standoff...
View ArticleEU to pledge 436 million euros
The European Union executive will pledge 436 million euros to help post-conflict recovery in Gaza and economic reform. Some of the funds will be allocated to reform the Ramallah based Palestinian...
View Article- Elections by January 2010
Rival Palestinian groups have agreed to hold presidential and legislative elections by January 2010. There are, however, disagreements as to what kind of government would prepare for the polls. The...
View ArticleHamas and Fatah criticized in new report
Security forces controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and those loyal to the Fatah faction in the West Bank routinely carry out politically motivated arrests, a Palestinian rights group said on...
View ArticleGovernment warns EU against easing boycott
Mahmoud Abbas’s Western-backed government in Ramallah has warned European states against easing a boycott of Hamas. Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki argues that overtures could undermine the unity...
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