Palestinian Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Zahhar, from the Hamas party,
said that Hamas will not recognize Israel since it is an occupying
country, and will not stop resisting the occupation. Referring to the
meeting between Abbas and the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail
Haniyya, Zahhar said that the meeting was delayed and not cancelled.
The statements of Zahhar came during a press conference in Gaza with the Brazilian ambassador to the Palestinian Authroity, Arlando Kahilo.
His statements came after Nabil Abu Rodeina, the advisor of Abbas, said that the meeting between Abbas and Haniyya on the formation of a National Unity Government, scheduled for Tuesday, was cancelled.
“The meeting with Abbas was postponed, not delayed”, Zahhar said, “Our meetings with Abbas are not seasonal, they are continuous and serious”.
Abu Rodeina added that Abbas will not head to Gaza in the near future since he already has several other appointments, and meetings.
Yet, a senior source said that Abbas will not be meeting with Hamas because he believes that such meetings are fruitless since Hamas insists on not recognizing Israel.
Zahhar also said that “there are parties that want to impose a fruitless political agenda”, and that the Hamas-party inherited a government that is burdened with corruption.
“We are exposing all corrupt elements, and issues”, he added, “the people chose Hamas because it has a specified agenda and a clear program”.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyya, said that he still hopes that efforts to form a national unity government will succeed.
“There are lots of challenges, and we need to be united”, Haniyya stated, “Israel's Foreign Minister clearly said that there will be no withdrawal to the 1967 borders, no Right of Return to the Palestinian refugees”.
Also, Zahhar said that Hamas that all Palestinian governments that recognized Israel since the Oslo agreement in 1993 was unable to achieve anything since Israel did not recognize the Palestinian right of independence and liberation.
Head of the Hamas bloc at the Legislative Council, Mosheer Al Masry, said that the meetings between Haniyya and Abbas will not go back to ground zero, and described the meetings as “the last opportunity”.
“differences do not mean failure”, Al Masry stated, “but, we will not recognize Israel, and we will not accept the conditions of the Quartet”.
