According to a report Monday, reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas are progressing and the two Palestinian factions have “no disputes” on the makeup of a consensus government.
Ma’an reports on comments made by Fatah negotiator, Azzam al-Ahmad:
“I think this is the final meeting before forming the government. We were in contact, and the president discussed the government with all factions. …
I think the president is still insistent on choosing (current premier) Rami Hamdallah to form the government, and the announcement of the government will be made by the president from Ramallah.”
According to the Associated Press, al-Ahmad predicts that a “temporary government of technocrats is to prepare for general elections in 2015” will be announced on Thursday. But the AP also points out the difficulty the potential presents to the West:
It’s not clear if the U.S. and Europe, which shun Hamas as a terror group, would deal with a unity government. The European Union has indicated it would do so if Abbas sets the tone — something he said he would do. The U.S. said it would study the program of the new government before making a decision.
Almost from the beginning of the unity talks Hamas boasted that its rejectionism would be adopted by the joint government. Hamas’s leaders have reiterated that they will not give up violence or their commitment to destroy Israel.
The presence of Hamas in a unity government raised fears of its growing influence in the West Bank. This fear isn’t just speculation but the stated policy of one of the leaders of the terrorist group. Last week, Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh reported on remarks made by Mahmoud al-Zahar, one of the top leaders of Hamas:
Zahar also disclosed that Hamas is planning to take advantage of the unity deal to move its terror attacks against Israel to the West Bank. Worse, he declared that after its men set foot in the West Bank, Hamas will target Palestinians who “collaborate” with Israel. “Who said that those who are conducting security coordination with Israel would remain forever?” he asked, referring to the Fatah-dominated security forces in the West Bank.
Zahar, who also said that Hamas would pursue the fight against Israel until the “liberation of all Palestine,” is in fact sending a warning message to the Western-funded Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank. “We believe in what was mentioned in the Quran: that Palestine, all of Palestine, will be liberated,” he added. “The Israeli entity should expect more from Hamas after our rockets reached Tel Aviv.”
[Photo: The Israel Project / Flickr ]