JERUSALEM/ GAZA: Israeli prime minister says he refuses to pass judgement on Palestinian unity government pact; Hamas says Israel and U.S. must accept new government

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reserved judgement on Sunday (February 11) on a Palestinian unity government deal that failed to meet a core demand by the United States and other Middle East peace mediators to recognise Israel. Olmert's cautious approach to the power-sharing pact appeared to signal a readiness to proceed with a February 19 summit with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on reviving the peace process. "Israel neither rejects nor accepts the agreements," Olmert said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting in his first public comments on the unity accord which the rival Hamas and Fatah factions signed in Mecca on Thursday (February 8). "At this stage, we, like the international community, are learning what was exactly accomplished and what was said," Olmert added. Islamic Hamas and Abbas's Fatah agreed to end factional warfare that has killed scores of Palestinians and to form a coalition, hoping the move would persuade Western powers to restore direct aid to the Palestinian Authority. Olmert reiterated that Israel demanded that any new Palestinian government accept the three conditions set by a "Quartet" of Middle East peace mediators for ending the crippling economic sanctions imposed on the Palestinians after Hamas came to power. The group, comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, wants Hamas, which defeated Fatah in an election last year, to recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept existing interim peace accords. "We support the Quartet's decisions and we expect any Palestinian government to stick to those principles which are: recognising Israel's right to exist, halting terror attacks and accepting all of the agreements in a clear, decisive manner, the agreements that had been signed between the state of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) in the past," said Olmert. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, hundreds of Palestinians gathered to demonstrate in support of Hamas at a rally. The rally honoured the Islamic University which was attacked by Fatah gunmen last week. Children carried photos of the university and officials addressed the crowd. Hamas Legislator Mushir al-Masri, who attended the rally, rejected Israel's reaction and added that a unity government would enjoy Arab recognition. "It is obvious that the Zionist enemy is not interested in any Palestinian unity government," he said. "Olmert is the one who called on (the Palestinian Fatah faction) not to reach a unity government agreement with Hamas. We stress that this government enjoys full Palestinian acceptance and also Arab and Muslim acceptance, and international acceptance is on its way, hopefully. The Zionist enemy and the American government have to accept this." The Hamas-Fatah agreement made no explicit commitment to recognise Israel. A letter from Abbas reappointing Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh as prime minister contained a hazy call to the movement to "abide by the interests of the Palestinian people" and "respect" past agreements and international law. A political adviser to Haniyeh said on Saturday (February 10) the new government, expected to be unveiled in the coming days, would not recognise the Jewish state. Olmert said at the cabinet meeting he had spoken by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and received assurances that Moscow was sticking to the Quartet's line. In a statement on Friday (February 9), the Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the unity deal and appealed for the lifting of a freeze on direct aid to the Palestinian government.

ITN Source | February 11, 2007

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