Rafiq Al Husseini, a top advisor for the Palestinian President, Mahmoud
Abbas, said on Thursday that Abbas gave Hamas a period of two weeks to
sum up the internal talks on a future Palestinian National Unity
Government.
Abbas is attempting to set up a government of technocrats or a government that would be accepted by the West especially since Hamas, which enjoys a vast parliamentarian majority, is branded by Israel and the United States as a terrorist organization.
Hamas is required by these countries to recognize Israel and renounce violence, but the movement's position is that it is resisting the Israeli occupation, and cannot recognize a country that still occupied Palestine and does does recognize the Palestinian rights of independence and statehood.
Meanwhile, Al Husseini said that if all internal talks fail, the president will have to decided on a referendum on whether to hold early elections. But, according to Al Husseini, under the Palestinian law, Abbas does not have the right to call for new elections.
“The Palestinian people elected Abbas and Hamas”, Al Husseini added, “therefore, he believes that the best thing is to return to the people”.
