PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Fatah cites scheduling as reason for postponing talks with Hamas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement was quick Sunday to ease fears regarding a decision to postpone a meeting between Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal that had been planned for Tuesday in Cairo.
Fatah officials said the decision had to do with Abbas’ busy schedule and did not necessarily mean the reconciliation process between the two rival factions is faltering.
Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement early in May after four years of bitter and sometimes violent rivalry. The agreement called for establishing a unity government with the goal of holding general elections within a year and to rebuild the Gaza Strip, devastated after five years of the Israeli blockade and military assaults.
Forming the unity government has become a stumbling block in the reconciliation effort. Fatah wants current Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to run the new government because it believes the Western-backed Fayyad will be able to prevent an international blockade against the new government because of Hamas involvement. Hamas, however, does not trust Fayyad.
When the two sides failed to agree on a prime minister during their meeting last week, they called on Abbas and Meshaal to sit together to resolve the issue.
Azzam Ahmad, who heads Fatah's delegation to the reconciliation talks and who announced the postponement after meeting Abbas in Ramallah, insisted that it was Abbas’ busy schedule that had led to the delay.
Abbas is going to be in Turkey on Wednesday and then in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday to address the European Parliament. Ahmad said it was better to give the two leaders time to discuss the complex issue without any interruptions. For this reason, it was believed better to postpone the meeting rather than risk having to end it before an agreement is reached.
Hamas did not seem too thrilled with the postponement. Hamas' leader in Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, said Sunday that "we were ready for this meeting and we wanted it to tackle all issues in order to have a government of conciliation."
Damascus-based Hamas official, Izzat Rishk, a hard-liner, said Fatah postponed the meeting because it could not get Hamas to agree to Fayyad as prime minister.
Abbas has a lot to risk if the new government is run by a prime minister who is not acceptable to the United States and Europe. Israel is already threatening to again stop transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority. It collects over $100 million in customs duties and taxes on Palestinian-imported goods coming through it ports. These funds account for two-thirds of the monthly salaries of Palestinian public employees, and 150,000 employees will go unpaid if Israel halts remittance.
In a news conference Sunday with the president of the Dominican Republic in Ramallah, Abbas reiterated that the new government would follow his policies, which is based on reaching a solution to the Middle East conflict based on peaceful negotiations with Israel and that will continue the policies of Fayyad’s West Bank-based government.
Hamas does not seem to object, but it does not want Fayyad to be the key person in the new government.
— Maher Abukhater in Ramallah, West Bank
Today the State of Palestine is bilaterally recognized de jure by about 130 states. Palestine has de facto diplomatic recognition from most states of Europe. It was only massive political pressure applied by the U.S. government that prevented European states from according de jure diplomatic recognition to Palestine.
Palestine is a member state of the League of Arab States and of the Organization of Islamic Conference (O.I.C). When the International Court of Justice in The Hague—the World Court of the United Nations System—conducted its legal proceedings on Israel’s apartheid wall on the West Bank, it invited the State of Palestine to participate in the proceedings. In other words, the International Court of Justice recognized the State of Palestine.
Posted by: woobie | June 22, 2011 at 12:24 PM
"Palestinian Territories"
Really...??
Legally, where are those "territories"...??
Obviously, they don't exist!!
And since this is the case, why is it that the story should be categorized under a concept that is strictly in the realm of wishful thinking and not real, factually based grounds...??!!
Posted by: Jehudah Ben-Israel | June 22, 2011 at 04:44 AM
Israel was built on terrorism, intimidation, and worse. Israeli policy or behavior illustrates state terrorism, repression, and aggression. According to the latest global surveys, Israel is considered the number one threat to world peace.
Posted by: Stefano888 | June 22, 2011 at 01:05 AM
@ugly Zionists below: interesting you label Arabs as liars, when historically, Hebrews/Jews have been labeled such, and a lot worse, for 5,000 years. You should be careful about negative stereotypes because they could come back to haunt you in many different ways. Shalom
Posted by: Stefano888 | June 21, 2011 at 08:11 PM
Lessen to what Arabs are saying in Arabic and English.
In English they lie to infidels.
In Arabic they speak to their people.
--
*Fatah has never recognized Israel’s right to exist and will never do so
- **I challenge anyone who says that the case is otherwise, whether it’s Hamas or others. Neither Fatah nor Hamas is required to recognize Israel.
– Remarks made by Azzam al-Ahmed in an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al- Youm. Azzam al-Ahmed head of the Fatah negotiating team with Hamas member of Fatah Central Committee closely associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
Posted by: Ariely | June 21, 2011 at 01:09 AM
With the flagrant skirting of International law, documented war crimes, human rights violations and the ongoing enforcing of apartheid by Zionist led Israel, it is no surprise it has been 67 long years of struggle..also surprising is that the fallout and resistance hasn't been more intense.
Posted by: woobie | June 20, 2011 at 03:55 PM
Hamas is a terrorist organization. They are responsible for the current situation in Gaza.
Posted by: steveg68 | June 20, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Yes, Woobie. Teething problems. Like throwing Fatah members off of rooftops. Like Fatah now responsible for Gilad Shalit's wellbeing.
Yup. Just like that.
As for Stefano and his whining, crying blather about how the neo-Imperialist Zionist keeps him in his Mommy's basement with his pants down around his ankles and Grandma's used diaper on his head.... Grow the F up.
What fools. With friends like you, no wonder the Palestinians haven't had a state in over 63 years.
Posted by: ABG | June 20, 2011 at 01:14 PM
Western Zionist neo-imperialist pressures on Palestinian factions and unity: the horror, the absolute horror.
Posted by: Stefano888 | June 19, 2011 at 11:16 PM
Mahmoud Abbas was having his nails done and could not make the meeting. This was more important.
Posted by: Kelly M Bray | June 19, 2011 at 11:09 PM
Abbas has put his head in the lion's mouth. I wish him all the luck in the world.
Posted by: Joanne | June 19, 2011 at 10:54 PM
We knew their meeting was gonna reschedule...Any 'coalition' has teething problems initially, but bring on the general elections.... the Palestinians will be rid of Hamas once and for all, mark my words.
Palestinians need pending Statehood more than another era of the same old, same old regarding conditions and existence within the OPT and Zionist control, occupation and segregation.
They must move forward in Peace and compromise and nothing less.
Posted by: woobie | June 19, 2011 at 10:04 PM