RAMALLAH, Palestine Authority (WJC)–Palestinian Prime Minister Salam al-Fayyad has said he wants to include Hamas members in his new government in order to heal the rift between the rival factions. Fayyad said his plan would permit Hamas to retain security control of the Gaza Strip while receiving certain posts in a reformed Cabinet. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which includes all major Palestinian groups but not Hamas, disbanded the previous government of the Palestinian Authority a week ago and asked Fayyad to form a new one.
However, the news agency AP reported that details had not been worked out yet and Fayyad does not appear to have formally unveiled the initiative to Hamas officials. Fayyad said he would travel to Gaza to explain the reunification proposal to Hamas, but in a first reaction, a Hamas leader rejected the idea: “This call is illegitimate and so is Fayyad,” said Ismail Radwan, adding that “a unity government will not be formed until we reach a solution to our differences.”
Previous attempts to reconcile the two Palestinian factions failed, and it was unclear whether the latest proposal would be any different.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress