Palestinian Authority, Hamas Set to Merge

[cb88]

Palestinian Authority, Hamas Set to Merge
By Jim Hauser
Talon News
April 7, 2004

GAZA (Talon News) -- In the wake of the cancelled Arab Summit in Tunisia and the death of Hamas founder and leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Yasser Arafat has agreed in principle to form a united Palestinian leadership which includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other militant factions.

The move came about following questions as to who would represent Palestinians at the Arab Summit in Tunisia. One of the major reasons for canceling the summit was the letters sent to the Arab League by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Syrian-based People's Front, known as the General Leadership.

In their letters, the factions urged the Secretary General of the League, Amro Musa, to allow them to participate in the summit in delegations separate from the official Palestinian delegation. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has always represented the Palestinians in the Arab summits.

Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Nabil Shaath described the letters as "unacceptable and against national interests."

"[They] are also an attempt to circumvent the legitimate Palestinian leadership represented by the elected President Yasser Arafat, who is also the Head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization," said Shaath. "[If] factions want to take part in the summit, it should be through the PLO, the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."

Palestinians are worried that the "postponement" of the summit has created a political vacuum in the region following the death of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin a couple of weeks ago.

In order to shore up their political power in the region, representatives of all Islamic and national factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), Palestinian People's Party, and other organizations concluded their first round of dialogue this week to reach a compromise on political issues.

"There has been a great progress in terms of Palestinian national unity, and there will be another meeting next week," Ibrahim Abu Al-Najja, PLC member and head of the factions' follow-up committee, told reporters. "We have found a great deal of national sense amongst Hamas representatives, a sense that has been always inspired by Hamas late leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin."

Following the first round of talks it was announced by Fatah that their movement will be offering Hamas the opportunity to participate in a coalition government with the PA. It was also stated that their participation will not just be limited to issues regarding the Gaza Strip, but will also include all the Palestinian territories.

Hani al-Hassan, member of Fatah's central committee and adviser to PA chairman Arafat, was quoted in the Al-Ayyam newspaper saying, "The formation of a united leadership does not challenge the Palestinian Authority as it is an internal Palestinian factional issue."

"Hamas requested that its representatives be part of the PA delegation to the Arab League and demanded to be represented in the National Palestinian Cabinet, things that make it easy to discuss the possibility of Hamas being part of the Palestine Liberation Organization," al-Hassan was quoted in al-Ayyam.

Hamas has refused to take part in the Palestinian Authority since the peace agreement in 1993, rejecting the Oslo accords in their entirety.

"We will offer them another chance to join the government," said Abdul Kader, who is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "Hamas and any other Palestinian faction are more than welcome to share in Fatah's responsibilities in administering the Palestinian territories."

"Our position is clear," said Saeed Syam, a Hamas Leader in Gaza. "That is, we don't mind joining PLO for certain conditions."

"The main condition is to grant Hamas a full partnership, including joining all PLO institutions, which will pave the way for the movement to be part of the Palestinian decision making and run for the upcoming elections," said Syam.

"The most important and nonnegotiable condition is to reinstitute the canceled articles of the PLO 'National Charter' that PNA obliged to remove as part of the commitments to the 1993 Oslo accord singed between Israel and PLO," Syam added. "This incorporation must not be symbolic or marginal."

The rest of the story: http://www.gopusa.com/news/2004/apri...s_merger.shtml