Final Hurdles Being Cleared as Palestinian Unity Expected This Week

Considering the two main Palestinian political factions split up in a violent confrontation that saw blood shed in the streets, it’s a big deal when they can apparently agree on a new joint prime minister for a unity government. It’s an even bigger deal when an official from one of the groups says there aren’t any disputes on creating that government.

That’s what the lead person for the Fatah team told the Ma’an News Agency, noting as well that President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas has chosen current Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to be the new unity government prime minister—a move Hamas is apparently accepting, despite having their own prime minister in Ismail Haniyeh.

In fact, the sides are so close to finalizing the deal that would reunite Abbas’ Fatah faction with the terrorists group Hamas, the Fatah official told Ma’an he expects the new government will be introduced by the end of the week.

This move will shatter any chances of peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel, as Hamas remains a terror group committed to taking over all of Israel through violence.

So far, the US and Europe have made it clear that Hamas cannot be accepted until they renounce violence and recognize Israel. Even foreign financial aid to the Palestinians is at risk if Hamas joins the government.

But there are apparently some Europeans who are willing to accept Hamas, a position that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed on Sunday. In so doing, he contrasted the response to Israel building so-called “settlement” apartments with the reaction to violence against Jews.

“There are elements in Europe that rush to condemn the construction of a flat in Jerusalem but do not rush to condemn—or offer only weak condemnations of—the murder of Jews here or in Europe itself and, even worse, welcome unity with a terrorist element such as Hamas, which calls for the destruction of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu was quoted by his office as saying.

“We oppose such hypocrisy, we protest against it, we will continue to always state the truth, we will continue to fight terrorism and we will continue to build up our state.”

Sadly, Hamas’ violence isn’t deterring Fatah from unity with them. Which means that it looks like the fight with terror is about to get a lot more complicated before this week is over.

(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, May 27, 2014)

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