The Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization
demanded on Friday the resignation of the Palestinian Prime Minister
from the Hamas party, Ismail Haniyya, to step down before talks on
National Unity Government are resumed.
The Committee, headed by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, held a meeting in Ramallah and said that president Abbas, as the head of the Palestinian Authority, should announce the details of all internal talks regarding the formation of the government “in order to inform the people and the Arab brothers on the real obstacle that obstructed the talks”.
Also, the committee accused Hamas of stalling the talks by having preconditions that its representatives keep presenting. “The demands of Hamas will not create any diversity in the government, they want to control all vital positions”, the committee stated in its press release.
The committee also added that the Hamas formula of the government will not be able to lift the siege “since it is not committed to the Palestinian legitimacy, the Arab peace initiative and the international legitimacy as the cores of its conduct”.
The committee called on Abbas to ask the government to resign in preparation for assigning a new figure to head the government, and carry the needed political and organizational talks in accordance to the basic law of the Palestinian Authority.
After the Executive Committee meeting, president Abbas headed to Ramallah.
Meanwhile, Hamas slammed the decisions of the Committee and considered them an an act of mutiny against the government, and the “choice of the Palestinian people”.
Dr. Ismail Radwan, Hamas spokesperson, said that these decisions will lead to huge conflicts that could inflame the situation, and said that the committee should have stressed on talks rather than “waving with the presidents' power”.
Radwan added that this committee met in order to overrule the choice of the people, and that it “does not represent all of the Palestinians”.
He also said that the committee subdued to “American and Zionist pressures” in addition to pressures from the Quartet.
Radwan held the committee responsible for adding tension to the area, and held Fateh responsible for the failure of national unity talks.
He also said that Hamas gave several concessions, and was ready to give away some of the ministries, “but Fateh backtracked on what we agreed upon”.
