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Fatah slams Hamas' intention to reshuffle its deposed government

Arab World Materials 25 December 2010 19:32 (UTC +04:00)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party slammed on Saturday Islamic Hamas movement's intention to reshuffle its government in the Gaza Strip which was deposed by President Abbas in 2007 after the movement seized control of the enclave by force, Xinhua reported.

Yousef Rezqah, a political aid to premier of the deposed Hamas government in Gaza Ismail Haneya, told Xinhua that a committee has recently been formed, which will hold contacts with all other Palestinian fractions and invite them to join a reshuffled government led by Hamas within this week.

The new government will take up the responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and manage the affairs of the Palestinian people, said Rezqah.

He added that members of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chaired by President Abbas will also be invited to join the new reshuffled government.

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, there have been two governments in the West Bank and Gaza -- the deposed government led by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the government of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank.

After Hamas' takeover of Gaza, Abbas deposed the Hamas-led national unity government and assigned Salam Fayyad as the new Palestinian Prime Minister of the PNA. However, Hamas rejected Abbas' decree and continued ruling the enclave.

In the meanwhile, Fatah and Hamas have been cracking down on each other's members in the West Bank and Gaza.

"This move is based on the reality of the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip in particular and the Palestinian cause in general are passing through crucial situation, while the so-called Israeli- Palestinian peace process has failed to achieve its goals amid continuation of Israeli settlement activities," said Rezqah.

Efforts of reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah have so far failed despite Palestinian and Arab mediations, mainly Egypt, which sponsored a national dialogue between the two feuding groups to end the current political split and reunite Gaza with the West Bank.

"During the contacts with other factions, we will tackle in details all their demands, mainly how many portfolios each faction wants to take. Everything depends on the consequences of these contacts and debates," said Rezqah, adding "We want real partnership that can help us get out of this crisis."

He denied that the political platform of Hamas government would be an obstacle for the other factions to join the new government, adding "through dialogue, we can reach a political compromise and we can finally achieve partnership among the Palestinian political fractions."

Palestinian political factions rebuffed Hamas intentions to reshuffle the deposed government of Hamas in Gaza.

Jamil Mezher, a member of the Popular Front to Liberate Palestine (PFLP), told Xinhua that his left-wing group won't join any of the two governments whether it is in Gaza or the West Bank, "because we consider the two governments illegal and we need elections to form a new government."

"To reshuffle either of the two governments would only intensify the political internal split among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza," said Mezher, adding that "the only solution to this crisis is to get back to reconciliation dialogue. "

DFLP also opposed Hamas' intention to reshuffle the Hamas-led government in Gaza.

Ramzi Rabah, a DFLP member, said in a statement that the only solution "is to end the current split."

He added that the feuding parties should agree on forming a national unity government and then hold general elections, saying "we believe that any new Hamas government will be invalid since it is rejected by both President Abbas and the Legislative Council ( parliament)."

Meanwhile, Amind Maqbool, Fatah revolutionary council secretary general, told Xinhua that the Hamas intention "is a step to fuel split and rift, which will be illegal and will violate the basic Palestinian law and the Palestinian constitution."

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