Hamas rejects reconciliation with Fatah
DAMASCUS - The Syrian-based leadership of the militant Palestinian Hamas said yesterday that it has rejected an Egyptian-mediated proposal to reconcile with the rival Fatah group.
Hamas and seven other Damascus-based Palestinian factions issued a joint statement saying the reconciliation plan must be revised to include a reference to the Palestinian right to resist Israeli occupation.
Hamas, a bitter rival of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group, seized control of Gaza two years ago after routing out Fatah forces. The Palestinians have since had two rival governments, with Hamas in control of Gaza, while the Western-backed Fatah governs the West Bank.
Egypt has been trying to mediate between the Palestinians, in a prelude to wider peace efforts that would include a peace deal with Israel.
In the West Bank, Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan said Hamas’s rejection cements Palestinian divisions and that his party was now considering its options, including calling elections unilaterally.
