Spokesman of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, Taher Al-Nunu, said that the Abbas-Olmert meetings have resulted in nothing but mere promises. ‘Only the security part of the U.S-backed road map to peace blueprint is being implemented on the ground, with the Palestinian security services cracking down on Palestinian resistance groups under the supervision of U.S Generals Dayton and Frazer’, a government statement read.

The statement warned of the media blackout on meetings between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, ‘which come out with no progress’, adding that such meetings might bring about ‘unwanted’ compromises.

The Hamas government also emphasized that no one is authorized to cede any of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, asserting the need that the Palestinian political terrain should be reshaped in order to guarantee that such rights are never renounced by a ‘few rulers’ in the West Bank.

The Hamas-dominated government in Gaza took complete control over the coastal region in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to President Abbas. Abbas then formed a caretaker government in the West Bank, backed by the U.S and other western governments.