Special report: Internal situation in Palestine

        Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault

    RAMALLAH, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chief Palestinian negotiators Erekat said Thursday that forming a new coalition government was intended to break the financial siege and resume international aid to the Palestinians.

    "The new government aims to resume the peace process and break the siege (on the Palestinians)," Erekat told local radio Voice of Palestine.

    On Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the ruling Hamas movement agreed on a moderate political program to form a national unity government to replace the current one. Erekat underlined that the program would be applied "in order to give Washington and Israel no pretexts to boycott the new government."

    The Hamas-led government has been facing grave financial crisis since it was formed in late March.

    Key international donor countries cut off direct aid to the Palestinians after Hamas, bent on the destruction of Israel, explicitly refused to meet international demands of recognizing Israel and renouncing violence. Enditem