Doha –
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has said he is open to a single Palestinian government over the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Hamas currently controls the Gaza Strip, while the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“We have received many initiatives regarding the internal (Palestinian) situation and we are open to the idea of a national government for the West Bank and Gaza,” Haniyeh said in a speech broadcast on Hamas-affiliated television, as reported AFPWednesday (1/3/2024).
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since winning Palestinian elections in 2006, followed by fierce clashes with the Fatah party led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Various attempts at reconciliation between the two factions ended in failure. Meanwhile, Abbas’ popularity as leader of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has declined.
The future government of the Gaza Strip has been repeatedly called into question during the three-month war between Hamas and Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militant group.
The United States, Israel’s ally, has stressed that Palestinians must be part of the government in the post-war Gaza Strip. But the future role of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority remains unclear.
In his speech broadcast by Al Jazeera, Haniyeh also touched on the discussion of the possibility of a second ceasefire, following the first agreed by Hamas and Israel at the end of November last year.
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2024-01-03 09:46:20
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