CAIRO, 16 April 2006 — Arab states urged the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority yesterday to accept an Arab initiative which offers Israel peace in return for land Israel has occupied since 1967.
But Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar, on an Arab tour in urgent search of funds, made no commitment to the initiative, which conflicts with the Hamas movement’s goal of a single Islamic state throughout historic Palestine.
Zahar told a news conference at the Arab League he was confident that Arab governments would provide money for the authority, which has lost mainly European aid because it refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Zahar met representatives of Arab governments and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa for more than 2 1/2 hours, with much of the discussion centered on the Arab initiative, launched in 2002 and rejected by Israel. “All the interventions (by Arab diplomats) spoke about the Arab initiative and its importance to the Arab position and the Palestinian people,” Zahar told a news conference alongside Moussa. “We will convey what we heard to every Palestinian decision-maker, inside the government and outside, so that we can lay out a clear vision on this initiative,” he added.
In the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinian security men stormed a government building and blocked roads demanding the Hamas-led administration pay overdue salaries.
Russia promised emergency funds for the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, breaking on the issue with the United States and the EU, Moscow’s partners along with the United Nations in the “Quartet” of Middle East peace mediators. “Give salaries, or go home,” the protesters chanted in the central town of Khan Younis, directing their message at Hamas in the biggest such demonstration since the group assumed power last month following its January election victory.
The security men burst into a government building in the town, briefly occupying offices and forcing workers to leave.
In Moscow, a Foreign Ministry statement said the offer of urgent Russian aid came in a phone conversation on Friday between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Abbas.
