(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon and Khaled Abu Toameh - PA President Mahmoud Abbas cannot have both peace with Israel and reconciliation with Hamas, officials in Jerusalem said on Thursday as Fatah announced significant progress toward forming a unity government with Hamas. "We have said before that Abbas can choose peace with us or Hamas, but they don't go together," one official said. Washington is also sending messages to Abbas not to sign off on a deal with Hamas, warning that the PA could face a cutoff of U.S. funds if it did so without Hamas first recognizing Israel, forswearing terrorism, and accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. One Israeli official characterized Abbas' behavior over the past few months as "problematic," citing his moves at the UN, his public praise for the kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit, and his refusal to condemn last month's missile fire from Gaza into Israel.
2011-11-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive