The Palestinian Hamas party, charged with forming a new Palestinian government after their majority electoral victory in the January 25th Palestinian legislative elections, denied allegations that Ismail Haniyeh would be the party’s choice.
After a Saudi newspaper reported Friday that the decision had been made to select Haniyeh, Hamas representatives were quick to deny that any choice had yet been made.
Ahmad Baher, one of Hamas’ winning candidates in the parliamentary elections, said that the report is a mere speculation, asserting that the movement will announce the name of the candidate at a later date. He added that there are ongoing consultations with other factions, mainly the defeated Fateh party.
After their electoral victory two weeks ago, Hamas leaders extended the offer of a coalition government to the defeated Fateh party, an offer that Fateh has yet to accept.
