(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh and Herb Keinon - PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal met Thursday in Cairo, saying they would open a new page in relations, but they failed to reach agreement over the formation of a Palestinian unity government. They did agree, however, to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped "the Palestinians choose to move away from the prospective union with Hamas, and to move away from unilateral steps." In this way, "peace will be advanced, and this will serve the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians." Israeli government officials, noting that there was no joint press conference after the meeting and that Abbas left quickly, said it appeared that the meeting was "more ceremonial than practical." Hamas is strongly opposed to the appointment of current PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as head of any government. A PA official in Ramallah said that Abbas had emphasized to Mashaal that he was unable at this stage to dump Fayyad because of American and European pressure and threats to suspend financial aid to the Palestinians.
2011-11-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive