As the democratically-elected Palestinian government is going through
the last stages of negotiations needed to reach a national unity
power-sharing agreement, the U.S. administration's dismissal of these
compromises has led to criticism from Palestinian government officials.
Ghazi Hamad, the spokesman for the Palestinian government, stated Wednesday, "The American position does not take into consideration that the unity government hasn't yet announced our program. They refer to prior stances held by our government, not our current stance. The U.S. position holds tightly to the Israeli demands, which would maintain Israel's occupation and expansion of settlements on our land, while brushing off the rights of Palestinians."
Hamad said that the refusal of the U.S. to recognize the efforts put forth by the elected Hamas government in Palestine shows that the U.S. administration is not serious about stability in the region, stating, "Preconditions [by the U.S.] mean the destruction of all of the hard-won efforts that have been made to achieve calm and tranquility".
He emphasized that the unity government was being built on the basis of national consensus, that all parties were participating in the process of its formation, and all considerations, both internal and external, being taken into account.
The idea of a coalition government between the elected majority party Hamas and other Palestinian political parties has gained widespread acceptance throughout the world, with the European Union promising to ease a blockade that has been in place since March, blocking the arrival of food, supplies and aid money to the Palestinian population. And the United Nations head Kofi Annan stated that the planned unity government meets the requirements set forth by the Quartet for Mid-East Peace.
Said government spokesman Ghazi Hamad, "The coalition government was met with a kind of Arab and international acceptance, showing a willingness to deal with this government."
It is only the U.S. and Israel that remain uncompromising in refusing to accept a coalition Palestinian government. Hamad stated that the "American position is always and solely for the benefit of Israel", and challenged the U.S. to meet the Palestinian government in their willingness to compromise.
He said that the national unity government, which implicitly recognizes Israel and accepts the Arab League's initiative for peace, was a huge compromise for Hamas, and should be met as such by the other side.
