The Hamas-led cabinet has said that talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on forming a unity government had stalled on recognition of Israel and renouncing the "resistance". Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad told a press conference on Tuesday that prime minister Ismail Haniya had spelt out his position during talks late Monday with the visiting Qatari foreign minister who came to mediate on the deadlock.
"We are facing problems, especially on two points, to renounce what's called terrorism and the second about the states," said Hamad, nonetheless denying that talks had reached "failure point".
"We are not terrorist organisation. We are against terrorism. We are a resistant movement. We are fighting against the occupation," Hamad said.
He reiterated that Hamas would not recognise Israel but said the government was willing to see a Palestinian state created on land occupied since 1967. "We are not ready to bestow on Israel wanton legality at a time when the occupation in the Palestinian territories continues," Hamad said, according to AFP.
Meanwhile, Egypt's foreign minister said Palestinians will lose a chance for peace if they continue infighting, a state-run newspaper reported Tuesday. "The Palestinian situation is marred by sharp divisions and battling; it is a misery and shameful for any Arab and any Palestinian," Ahmed Abul Gheit was quoted as saying by the Al-Ahram newspaper.
"Those leaders and the Palestinian people will find out that they are losing a chance and a mobility that should have taken place and we lost it," he said.
Abul Gheit slammed the government of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh for rejecting an Arab peace initiative which recognise the state of Israel and endorses the land-for-peace principle. "The Palestinian prime minister rejects this initiative; then why doesn't he search for another one?" Abul Gheit said, according to the interview.
He said the first step for reviving the peace process would be the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for Israel freeing 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
But, he said, that won't be accomplished without "an internal Palestinian reconciliation."
