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Special report: Internal situation in Palestine

GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) officials said on Tuesday that Hamas would never recognize Israel despite an agreement with other Palestinian factions to form a coalition government.

The condition put by Israel and major donors to deal with any Palestinian government is that the latter should recognize Israel and the signed peace agreements as well as to condemn terrorism and violence.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters in Gaza that his movement would never recognize the Jewish state, adding that even if a coalition government is formed, there would be no recognition of Israel.

"If Hamas recognized Israel, it would be recognition of the occupation legitimacy, which Hamas totally rejects," Abu Zuhri said.

One of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' conditions to forma national unity government is that Hamas has to recognize the Arab peace initiative, which was issued in an Arab Summit held in Beirut in 2002 and clearly recognized the state of Israel. If Hamas rejects the initiative, which means for Hamas recognition of Israel, the talks between Abbas and Ismail Haneya, Prime Minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government, to form a coalition government may collapse.

Jamal Nazzal, spokesman in the West Bank for Abbas' Fatah movement, told reporters that forming a coalition government wouldn't serve his movement, but would save and serve the highest interests of Palestinian people.

Fatah recognized Israel in 1988 in Algeria, and adopted the strategy of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through peace negotiations instead of armed struggle.

Fatah prefers establishing a coalition government based on the prisoners' document of national accordance in order to end the international siege and the suffering of the Palestinian people, said Nazzal. Enditem

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. Full story>>

EU, Arab nations promise to support new Palestinian coalition gov't: spokesman

GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government said on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) and Arab nations had promised to support the new national unity government when it is formed.

Calling the news as "good and assuring," government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said that it would be the beginning of breaking the siege on the Palestinian people. Full story>>

Abbas calls for end of siege on Palestinians

GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday called on the international community to lift the siege on the Palestinian people.

"We call on the entire world to lift the blockade so our people would find their daily food," said Abbas after meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Haneya and leaders of Palestinian factions. Full story>>