President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a Palestinian unity government on Monday in a reconciliation deal with Hamas Islamists that led Israel to freeze U.S.-brokered peace talks. Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is dependent on foreign aid, appeared to be banking on Western acceptance – over Israeli objections – of a 16-member…
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Israel’s wait-and-see approach to Fatah-Hamas unity talks was “appropriate.” He made the remarks in an interview Thursday night on PBS, adding that he was “disappointed that the [peace] process, what is in place, that that didn’t produce the next step.” Asked about the negotiations on unity between Hamas…
Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas agreed on the make-up of a national unity government on Tuesday in the most significant step yet toward healing their seven-year rift. The two groups said they had decided on a list of independent, technocrat ministers who will run the government pending elections in at least six months –…
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas signalled on Saturday that he remains committed to troubled U.S.-backed peace talks, saying that any future unity government that includes the militant group Hamas would recognise Israel. Abbas’s comments appeared aimed at soothing Western concerns about the unity deal he reached on Wednesday with Hamas, an Islamist faction sworn to Israel’s…
Palestinian Authority officials said they would demand Hamas accept the two-state solution as a condition to reconciliation between Ramallah and the Islamist group ruling Gaza. An unnamed senior Palestinian official on Friday told The Times of Israel that Abbas’ Fatah movement “won’t agree to complete the reconciliation process” unless Hamas agrees to a new government…
Palestinians celebrate new Fatah-Hamas unity // Getty Images. A few days ago, Israel was engaged in a bitter blame game with the Palestinians, with each side accusing the other of being responsible for sabotaging peace talks. Now, Israel is competing for recognition as the party that brought the flagging talks to an end. The Palestinians…
Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Mahmoud Abbas in 2010/Getty Images Israel’s decision today to suspend peace talks with the Palestine Liberation Organization, in response to yesterday’s Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement, is really three distinct decisions. One is sensible. The second is understandable if questionable. The third is inexcusable. The first decision is the actual suspension of talks,…
Israel formally suspended peace talks with the Palestinian Authority over the P.A.’s national unity accord signed with the Hamas authority in the Gaza Strip. “The Cabinet today unanimously decided that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel’s destruction,” said a statement by Israeli Prime…
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