Special report: Internal situation in Palestine

Special report: Hamas-led cabinet takes office

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya (L) meets with President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, Sept. 11, 2006. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    GAZA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) reached on Monday a long-awaited deal on a national coalition government.

    "We are happy to inform our Palestinian people that the efforts on the political program of the national unity government have ended," Abbas was quoted by Palestinian official news agency (Wafa) as saying.

    Abbas made the announcement following a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya in Gaza City, which is the second such meeting between them in 24 hours.

    Haneya, also a senior leader of the ruling Hamas movement, confirmed the deal.

    According to the deal, the incumbent Hamas-led government will be dismissed and replaced with a coalition government consisting of at least Hamas and Abbas' Fatah, the biggest Palestinian factions.

    Haneya, as the incumbent prime minister, will remain in the post to lead the new national unity coalition government.

    Thus, Hamas-led sole government ended its governing in the Palestinian territories after a six-month tough period, during which the fledgling ruling party Hamas plagued by a series of troubles inward and outward.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya (L) meets with President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, Sept. 11, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    Domestically, the Palestinian territories have witnessed Israeli offensives since June 28, three days after three Palestinian militant groups including Hamas' armed wing abducted an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid on June 25.

    To retaliate Hamas and the government it leads, Israel launched military offensive in the Palestinian territories, especially the Gaza Strip, and an arrest campaign even in the West Bank region.

    Furthermore, Israel tightened the siege on the Palestinian territories, pushing the Palestinians into serious supply insufficiency.

    During the Israeli operations, more than 220 Palestinians were killed and a number of Hamas lawmakers and ministers were detained by Israeli forces.

    "The formation of the Hamas government was associated with many unhappy events," said police officer Ahmed al-Massri, who has not received his full salary for six months.

    Since Hamas took power in late March, the government has been facing serious financial problem due to the aid cutoff by the United States and the European Union (EU), main donors of the Palestinian government.

    Hamas-led government could not pay the 165,000 government employees for months, sparking wide strike in all circles.

    The situation deteriorated thanks to Hamas rejection of the donor countries' demand of recognizing Israel, signed international agreements and condemnation of violence.

    Regionally, Hamas and its government did not recognize the Arab Peace Initiative that was adopted by all Arab countries in the 2002 Arab League's summit in Beirut.

    Consequently, Arab nations, especially Jordan and Egypt, were not satisfied with Hamas administration.

    In a bid to overcome the crisis, leaders of Palestinian factions jailed in Israeli prisons drew up a document of National Accordance, calling for a Palestinian statehood alongside Israel and a coalition government.

    Since the release of the Prisoners' Document in mid May, Hamas and all Palestinian factions have engaged in talks with the hope to adopt the document as a base for the coalition government.

    After three months of fruitless talks, Abbas eventually announced the deal on it in a last-minute effort.

    As Fatah decided to join the coalition government, Fatah spokesman Jamal Nazzal called on the international community to "recognize the Palestinian coalition government, resume aid for the Palestinian people and remove Hamas from the terror organization's list."

    Meanwhile, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) also expressed its willingness to take part in the coalition government.

    PFLP politburo member Jamil Majdalawy said that "If the principles of pluralism were achieved and a democratic, political life is secured, we will look positively to join the coalition."

    However, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Sami Abu Zuhri still voiced his group's rejection of three demands set by the U.S. and the EU, saying that "We Hamas strongly support the formation of a national coalition government, but we also don't accept the three international requirements that ask us to recognize the state of Israel."

    "Hamas will never recognize Israel until Israel ends its occupation of east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip." the spokesman asserted.

    Hamas tough stance on Israel may shatter the deal between Abbas and Haneya in the future, because one of Abbas' conditions of forming a national coalition government is that Hamas has to recognize the Arab peace initiative, which clearly recognizes the state of Israel. Enditem