Hamas chief says political unity vital for Palestine
Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal reiterated the importance of Palestinian political unity at a speech in Doha on Tuesday, following a recently agreed deal with political rival Fatah to end a several year long rift.
“We had no other option but to reconcile,” Meshaal said in Doha. “We cannot take a political decision or draft a strategy against the [Israeli] occupation without national reconciliation,” he added.
Hamas and Fatah agreed a reconciliation deal in Gaza last month, ending an intra-Palestinian split dating back to 2007. The deal calls for the formation of an interim national unity government to serve until legislative elections are held in the occupied West Bank and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
In Doha Meshaal called on the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to “take serious national steps to create an atmosphere that helps in boosting confidence in the reconciliation”.
Meanwhile the Middle East Quartet, made up of the US, EU, UN and Russia, are expected to issue a statement saying they will recognise an interim Palestinian government, providing Hamas is not directly represented in the cabinet, according to a broadcast by Israel Radio on 18 May.
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They are expected to ask a new Palestinian government to recognise Israel and reiterate its commitment to previously signed agreements with Israel.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has previously stated that the new government will recognise Israel, renounce violence and also be committed to agreements signed with Israel in the past.
Israeli officials have said they will “wait and see” how a new Palestinian government but said they will not engage in peace talks with Hamas.
“The reconciliation agreement with Fatah and Hamas was quite a disappointment… but we decided to wait and see what happens on the Palestinian side when a new government is created,” Tzipi Livni, Israel justice minister, told AFP recently.
“I shall not conduct negotiations – direct or indirect – with Hamas,” she added.
An announcement on a unity government may be made this week, with Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad in Gaza on Wednesday to conclude negotiations according to Bassem Naim, a senior advisor to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who spoke to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
No date has been set for elections in Palestine, although they are expected to take place before the end of the year.
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