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Abbas - Will Fatah agree?
Photo: AP
Hamas negotiator Duwaik
Photo: AFP

Hamas demands Fatah extend parliament's term

Islamist group planning to add demand from rival faction in reconciliation talk, Ynet has learned. Hamas believes parliament's term should be extended because Israeli arrests of lawmakers, international boycott have prevented movement from realizing its power

Reconciliation efforts between the rival Palestinian factions remain stagnated, and it now appears that Hamas intends to raise a new demand – an extension of parliament's term. Ynet learned on Wednesday that the Islamist group, which holds a majority in the Palestinian parliament, believes the move must be allowed as it has not been able to realize its power in parliament since the elections took place three years ago.

 

Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip, believes that the current term must be extended to account for the fact that immediately after its victory in the elections many of its newly elected lawmakers were arrested and an international boycott was enacted against it.

 

Egypt is working to expedite the talks between Fatah and Hamas over the coming days, in an attempt to reach a reconciliation agreement. It is unclear what impact this new demand will have on the negotiations.

 

Over the past several days intense discussions have taken place between representatives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas representatives in the West Bank, including Parliament Speaker Aziz Duwaik, who was recently released from Israeli imprisonment. Both sides are examining possible

ways to break the deadlock.

 

But while the talks continue, leaders from both sides are continuing to trade accusations in the media. Abbas claimed last week that the Palestinian Authority has concrete information regarding a Hamas plot to assault its top officials. Abbas said that PA forces exposed and apprehended members of a Hamas cell, who he said confessed to planning attacks against PA targets.

 

Several days later Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said that Fatah cells were operating in the Strip, collecting intelligence information for the PA and Israel.

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.08.09, 23:02
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