[Jerusalem Post] Khaled Abu Toameh - The political program of the new Palestinian Authority unity government has been drafted in such a way as to allow both Hamas and Fatah to argue that neither had totally abandoned its traditional position. The program sets a number of conditions for halting the "resistance": ending the "occupation" and achieving independence and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, as well as an end to Israeli security measures including the construction of the security fence. In other words, Fatah and Hamas are saying that the violence will continue as long as Israel does not meet these demands. It also makes no mention of the two-state solution. The program states that the new government will only "respect" agreements signed by the PLO. Hamas leaders have explained that there is a huge difference between "respecting" an agreement and making a pledge to fulfill it. In other words, Hamas is saying that while it accepts the agreements with Israel as an established fact, it will not carry them out.
2007-03-16 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive