Abbas gets green light to form unity government
Fatah Central Committee gives Palestinian president power to begin forming unity government with Hamas; simultaneously, Palestinian PM Haniyeh says there are no preconditions for negotiations. However, Palestinian source tells Ynet further difficulties are expected
Fatah member Hani al-Hassan said that Abbas was asked to launch negotiations with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and all the factions in order to form the unity government.
Hassan added that the disagreements between Fatah and Hamas were resolved and that the unity government was a rescue government for all the Palestinians.
Fatah officials hope that the government will be based on the prisoners' document, which calls for negotiations with Israel.
Another Fatah member, Abbas Zaki, said that he expected the unity government to be composed of professionals who will be able to take the Palestinian people out of the crisis they are experiencing and meet their needs.
Simultaneously, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said that Hamas and Fatah had no preconditions regarding the formation of a unity government. According to Haniyeh, the only things left for discussion were issues relating to the new government's success.
Haniyeh stressed that the government would be established in spite of the series of arrests carried out by Israel against senior Hamas members and representatives, after the Palestinian prime minister said last week that the Israeli arrests would be a precondition for forming the government.
Egyptian mediation leads to breakthrough
Fatah members had accused Haniyeh of attempting to thwart the establishment of a unity government by setting those conditions. However, a breakthrough between the sides took place following mediations attempts by the Egyptians and other parties.
A Palestinian source told Ynet, however, that in spite of the breakthrough the government will not be established in the coming days and that further difficulties are expected, but there has been progress.
On Sunday, Hamas announced that it had begun consulting with the different Palestinian factions ahead of the establishment of a unity government.
The movement's announcement came in light of the crisis between Hamas and Fatah following Haniyeh's remarks last week. The Palestinian prime minister had said that a precondition for forming the unity government was that the Palestinian ministers and senior officials jailed in Israel would be released, that the blockade on the territories would be lifted, and that Israel would halt its offensive against the Palestinians.
Haniyeh had also said that any new government must be headed by a member of the party which holds the largest number of seats in the parliament, meaning Hamas.
