The ruling Hamas party on Thursday called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume power-sharing talks, threatening to use all "open options" if the deadlock persists.
Hamas issued its statement a day after Abbas confirmed the negotiations had collapsed. "We remind the president that we have open options to deal with the ongoing crisis, but we prefer the national option, which is in harmony with our national unity," Hamas said. It also accused Abbas of "dictating" new conditions that have sabotaged efforts to reach a deal.
Thursday's Hamas statement accused Rice of "carrying the roots of division for Palestinian unity" and criticized Fatah members, including Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, for co-operating with her. "Hamas is still working to form a national unity government, which is our priority," the statement said. "Abu Mazen and some leaders in Fatah are avoiding formation of a unity government by dictating new conditions and fabricating problems that... sabotage the efforts of the government."
