28 April 2011 Last updated at 10:24 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13221843
--
Israel rejects Palestinian unity government with Hamas
Israeli officials have criticised a reconciliation deal between rival
Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas.
The foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman warned that Israel would not negotiate
with the new unity government.
The US also responded coolly, saying the government that resulted must
recognise Israel and renounce violence.
Under the agreement brokered in Egypt on Wednesday, an interim Palestinian
government will be formed and a date fixed for elections.
Palestinians hope the move will end infighting that was politically damaging
and caused hundreds of deaths.
The Fatah party of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - which
runs parts of the West Bank - and Hamas, which governs Gaza, have been divided
for more than four years.
Their surprise deal, announced and brokered in Cairo, came after months of
failed rounds of talks.
"It needs to be clear that such an agreement crosses a red line," Mr Lieberman
told Israeli military radio on Thursday.
"The significance of the agreement is that... hundreds of terrorists will flood
the West Bank and therefore we need to prepare for a different situation," he
added.
He threatened measures to restrict the freedom of movement of Mr Abbas and the
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and freeze the transfer of taxes
collected by Israel for the PA.
Earlier the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that the PA
could not have peace with both Hamas and Israel.
"I hope the Palestinian Authority will make the right choice - peace with
Israel," he said.
Hamas has carried out bombings and rocket attacks against Israel for years and
does not recognise its right to exist.
Public pressure
Thousands of Palestinians protested in Gaza this month, calling for
reconciliation.
The protests were inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Middle East and North
Africa. Further demonstrations were planned for 15 May.
The split between Fatah and Hamas occurred when violence erupted a year after
Hamas won Palestinian elections in 2006. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.
Continue reading the main story
Fatah-Hamas Rivalry
* January 2006 - Hamas wins Palestinian Authority legislative election
* March 2006 - Hamas government sworn in. US and EU suspend ties.
* February-March 2007 - Fatah and Hamas agree to form coalition to end
growing factional warfare
* June 2007 - Hamas seizes control of Gaza from Fatah after continued
fighting. Unity government dissolved, Israel tightens blockade of Gaza Strip.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Cairo says that if the deal goes ahead, it will end
the bitter hostility between the two sides and remove a significant barrier to
the Palestinian campaign for statehood.
But he says there are many difficult issues to resolve - such as how the two
factions will share security, how Gaza and the West Bank, separated by Israeli
territory, will be governed, and whether the international donors will be
willing to recognise Hamas.
Fatah and Hamas had been close to a deal last year but Hamas withdrew, saying
the terms had been revised without its agreement. Mr Abbas has since been
pushing for reconciliation.
The BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem says the Netanyahu government has repeatedly
said it will not sit down and talk about a two-state solution if Hamas is any
way involved.
Mr Netanyahu told the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday: "There cannot be
peace with both [Israel and Hamas] because Hamas wants to destroy Israel and
says so openly. It shoots missiles at our cities, it fires anti-tank missiles
at our children.
"I think that the idea of reconciliation shows the weakness of the Palestinian
Authority and raises the question whether Hamas will take over Judea and
Samaria [the West Bank] as it has taken over the Gaza Strip."
US National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said: "The United States
supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace.
"Hamas, however, is a terrorist organisation which targets civilians. To play a
constructive role in achieving peace, any Palestinian government must...
renounce violence, abide by past agreements, and recognise Israel's right to
exist."
Violence between Israel and militant groups in Gaza escalated this March
following a rocket attack on an Israeli school bus that killed a teenage boy.
Israel also launched a full-scale ground operation - named Cast Lead - in the
Gaza Strip that began in December 2008 and ended in January 2009.
------------------------------------
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe : [email protected]
Unsubscribe : [email protected]
List owner : [email protected]
Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
