The Palestinian government led by the Islamic Resistance
Movement (Hamas) rejected yesterday a peace initiative presented by
a former US peace envoy.
The initiative calls for the Palestinians to form a new
emergency government that excludes rivals Hamas and Fatah
movements, but includes technocrats and independents.
Dennis Ross, the US envoy to the Middle East peace process
during the Clinton administration, presented his initiative with
the hope to overcome a worsening fiscal, political and security
crisis in the Gaza Strip.
However, Palestinian cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad described the
initiative as "unworkable," saying that "it seems the Palestinian
accounts and equations are not being considered by Mr. Ross."
Hamad said that "Excluding Hamas and Fatah, the largest groups
in the Palestinian political arena, would not be useful, especially
as Hamas won the elections with an overwhelming victory."
He clarified that such a move would be "illogical because the
percentage the other parties received in the elections was very
weak and they have no wide support in the street." Hamad also
rejected Ross' suggestions in the initiative that Muhammed Dahlan,
a senior Fatah official, assumes the security in the new emergency
government.
Dahlan is a lawmaker in the Palestinian Legislative Council
representing Fatah Movement and also a former minister of interior
and civil affairs.
On January 25, Hamas hit rival long-dominant Fatah Movement in
the second Palestinian parliamentary elections. Its victory enabled
Hamas to form its own government without any participation from
other factions.
When the Hamas-led government took office in late March, the
other factions said they didn't join the government, owing
differences over the political vision of the government. The same
political vision encouraged Western donors to suspend their aid and
monthly payments to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) since
Hamas refused to renounce violence, recognize Israel and honor
peace deals.
Western sanctions made Hamas unable to pay salaries for 160.000
public servants.
(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2006)
