RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, 14 September 2006 — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday that he hoped to soon officially task Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh with forming a new unity government that could pave the way for the resumption of badly needed Western aid.
Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah, Abbas confirmed that Haniyeh would remain at the helm of the new coalition Cabinet. “I can’t yet say when I will formally task him with doing so, but I hope that the (new) government will be formed soon, God willing,” he said.
The agreement on the coalition Cabinet announced by Abbas and Haniyeh on Monday has fueled hopes that Western direct aid would resume flowing to the Palestinian Authority to avert a deepening social and economic crisis.
But the United States warned Tuesday that plans for the new government did not appear to meet US and European conditions for resumption of aid to the Palestinian territories.
However, Hamas and Abbas voiced conflicting views yesterday on unity government policies. The Hamas said in a statement its agreement to form a coalition with Fatah should not be seen as a softening in the Islamic group’s position toward Israel.
“Hamas does not and will not recognize the occupation and will not accept any government agenda that may imply a recognition of the occupation,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, using the Islamic group’s term for the Jewish state.
His comments seemed to challenge remarks Abbas made earlier to reporters in which the moderate leader said that under his deal with Hamas, a unity government “will respect the agreements (Israel) signed with the PLO.”
Abbas was referring to interim peace accords that Hamas, which advocates Israel’s destruction, has long rejected. Palestinians hope the creation of a unity administration will lead to the lifting of a Western aid embargo imposed after Hamas took power in March following a surprising win over Fatah in January elections.
A “quartet” of mediators — the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — have said aid to the Palestinian government would resume only after it recognized Israel, renounced violence and abided by existing peace deals.
