Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, from the Hamas party, stated on Tuesday that it is still early for the Palestinian government to resign in the context of the Palestinian Unity agreement that was signed in Mecca – Saudi Arabia.Haniyya’s statements came as he spoke to reporters at the entrance of the Palestinian Liberation Organization office in Gaza. Haniyya was on his way to a meeting with officials of several Palestinian factions.
On Monday, Haniyya’s political advisor, Ahmad Yousef, stated that the government would resign on Wednesday, an Israeli online daily reported.
Haniyya fears that President Mahmoud Abbas will attempt to prevent him from heading the new unity government due to U.S and Israeli pressures.
Abbas is expected to announce Haniyya as the head of the new government on Thursday.
Moreover, Haaretz reported that Nabil Amr, the advisor of Abbas, stated that he met recently with top European Union leaders in Brussels. The E.U leaders Amr met expressed positive opinions regarding the deal, but said that they needed more time to examine it.
On Tuesday, several Hamas legislators expressed doubts over the intentions of the US and Israel regarding the new government.
Hamas legislator, Yahia Mousa, accused the United States and Israel of giving the world “a false impression of the Palestinian people”, while Israel continues its attacks and invasions.
Commenting on next Monday’s planned summit between President Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and the U.S Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, Mousa said that this meeting could be intended to “implant tha basis of incitement against the new Palestinian Unity Government”.
Several Israeli leaders said that Abbas and Olmert should not meet, and called on Olmert to stop his contacts with Abbas from signing a unity deal with Hamas.
