Excerpts: Egypt's free press fights back. Syria in Gaza 6 July 2006

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 6 July '06:"Egyptian Papers to Strike Over Lack of
Reforms" Agence France Presse
QUOTE FROM TEXT:
"protest the 'horrific picture' of the free press in Egypt"
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CAIRO, 6 July 2006 - A group of editors at Egypt's main independent
newspapers will stage a one-day strike on Sunday ...to protest the 'horrific
picture" of the free press in Egypt' ... saying that Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak had failed to fulfill his presidential campaign promises of
abolishing jail terms for journalists.
A new draft press bill has been passed by the government and is due to be
discussed in Parliament on Sunday.
But the law, which leaves prison sentences to judges' discretion rather than
abolish them altogether, is far from acceptable, say the journalists.
A particularly controversial article states that journalists who discuss the
private property or funds of public figures risk imprisonment. The new law
"abolishes the role of the press in exposing crimes of stealing public
funds...and protects corruption and offers immunity to the corrupt," read a
statement issued by the journalists syndicate on Tuesday.

+++JORDAN TIMES 6 July '06:"Crisis highlights Hamas divisions" By Charles
Levinson, Agence France Presse
QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"Hamas ideologues in Damascus are seen as seeking to regain the upper
hand"
" 'Hamas inside has been more willing to accept relatively moderate
politics... The difficulties have come from abroad' "

"Hamas politbureau in Damascus must appease ... Syria"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EXCERPTS::GAZA CITY - The June 25 abduction by Gaza fighters of an Israeli soldier hashighlighted a rift between the Hamas-run Palestinian government and themovement's exiled leadership, analysts say.While prime minister Ismail Haniyeh grapples with an increasingly fractiouspolitical scene and an acute financial crisis in the Palestinianterritories, Hamas' ideologues in Damascus are seen as seeking to regain theupper hand."Hamas inside has been more willing to accept relatively moderatepolitics... The difficulties have come from abroad," said Ghassan Khatib, aformer minister and political analyst based in Ramallah.Clan allegiances, fast-shifting alliances and old unsettled accounts cutdeep rifts across both leaderships but Israel and its allies unequivocallypointed to politburo chief Khaled Mishaal as the root of their problems.On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Amir
Peretz warned Syrian PresidentBashar Assad that "all the responsibility falls on him" for sheltering theIslamist movement's top leaders.In recent weeks, Mishaal was widely believed to be holding up the so-called"Prisoners' Document," a cross-faction accord that implicitly recognisedIsrael's right to exist.When the capture of the Israeli soldier and the Jewish state's ham-fistedresponse plunged the region into further turmoil, reports also suggestedthat Mishaal blocked mediation efforts to secure a release.The diverging views of Hamas exiles and the Gaza-based leadership have beenapparent in recent public statements."The government is committed to the pursuit of mediation and we prefer apeaceful solution to military escalation," spokesman Ghazi Hamad said inGaza Monday.Meanwhile, the rhetoric from Hamas' leadership abroad has only grown morebelligerent."Kidnappings will increase as long as Palestinians are not freed, whateverthe outcome of the Israeli invasion in the Gaza Strip," a
Hamas spokesman inLebanon threatened.The reasons for the split are many, say analysts. Mishaal and his comradesin the Hamas politburo in Damascus must appease their host country, Syria,and are close to Iran. Both countries are outspoken enemies of the Jewishstate.The home-based leadership, on the other hand, must now show the flexibilityrequired of politicians who speak for all Palestinians."Once you are in power you have to take a lot of things into consideration,"says Taher Masry, a former Jordanian premier. "It's not just your wish, yourdoctrine and your ideology.". . ."Some in Hamas wouldn't have encouraged the kidnapping because theypreferred to adhere to the ceasefire, but since the soldier is now in theirhands I think they are totally united in not releasing him without somethingin return," says Khatib.Sue Lerner - Associate - IMRA