Mashaal: US vetoed Shalit deal, reconciliation talks
Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said the United States vetoed the execution of a prisoner exchange deal for the release of Gilad Shalit and the internal Palestinian reconciliation talks, and added that this would bolster Hamas and weaken Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Mashaal told reporters in Damascus, "Nothing new is happening in the Shalit matter, due to the Zionist prime minister Netanyahu's withdrawal from his proposal." He added that "the Americans made it clear that they would not allow reconciliation unless Hamas succumbs to the conditions of the international quartet and recognizes Israel." (Ali Waked)
