Felesteen resumes sale in West Bank

Men read Hamas-affiliated newspaper Felesteen Ramallah - Arab Today The Hamas newspaper Falastin returned to West Bank newstands Saturday after a seven-year absence as part of reconciliation between the Islamist group and its rivals in the Palestinian Authority. An executive of Ramallah-based Al-Ayyam daily said his company's presses printed the paper overnight. On Wednesday, Al-Quds daily, published in the West Bank, where the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority holds sway, became available again in the Gaza Strip for the first time since Hamas drove Fatah out of the territory in bloody fighting in 2007. On April 23, Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organisation -- which Fatah dominates -- revealed a surprise reconciliation deal under which they would work together to form a new government of political independents. That was seized upon by Israel, which said it would not negotiate with any Palestinian government backed by Hamas, putting the final nail in the coffin of the latest round of US-brokered peace talks. Source: AFP