Hamas ‘coup’ blow to creation of Palestinian state - Roed-Larsen

Hamas carried out "a de facto coup d'etat" against the democratically elected government in Gaza which is a serious blow to the creation of a Palestinian state and has implications for the entire Middle East, the former UN Mideast envoy said.

Terje Roed-Larsen, now the president of the International Peace Academy and a UN Envoy for Lebanon-Syria issues, called the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip "a defining moment in the history of the Middle East and the history of Middle East conflicts". (AP)