- GAZA CITY: Ismail Haniya, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, has twice written letters to US President Barack Obama carrying suggestions to achieve a lasting cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians and to resolve the conflict but has not received a reply, a Hamas spokesman said on Sunday.
Taher Al-Nunu said Haniya had asked Obama to intervene against an Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the enclave and recognize Hamas rule as legitimate in light of its victory in the 2006 Palestinian general election.
"Prime minister Haniya asked Obama to end the siege around the Gaza Strip and on the Hamas government and to respect the result of the Palestinian elections," Nunu said. "He has received no answer from the president or his office."
"The government does not deny that it had corresponded with several Western sides, including the US administration, but has not offered any new proposals in terms of political settlement," said Ahamd Yousef, a senior Hamas official.
The letters sent through "Western mediators" only explained the situation of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control of the territory in June 2007, Yousef added.
The United States, together with many European countries, lists Hamas as a terrorist group.
