Spokesman of the Palestinian Fatah movement Ahmed Abdel Rahman urged on
Sunday the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which will form a new
Palestinian government within weeks, to accept previous deals with Israel
including the interim peace agreements.
Abdel Rahman told local radio "Voice of Palestine" that the Hamas vision for
the future Palestinian government "lacked politics" since it failed to give a
clear acceptance to agreements reached by the Palestinians and Israel in the
past, including the interim peace agreements dubbed the Oslo Accords.
Abdel Rahman made the statement after Hamas prime minister-designate Ismail
Haneya presented a letter to President Mahmoud Abbas, who now leads Fatah, on
Friday to detail Hamas' future government platform and latest efforts to form a
Hamas-led new Palestinian government.
Abdel Rahman stressed that the Palestinian people's interests were directly
linked with the internationally-sponsored interim peace deals, warning "any
party assuming the authoritative power cannot jump over this fact."
A copy of the Hamas government platform said, "The future Hamas-led cabinet
will deal with the reality resulted from the previous accords reached between
the Palestinian (National) Authority and Israel."
"The new government has the right to reconsider these accords on the basis of
respecting the international law and implementing its text to protect the rights
and interests of the Palestinian people," it added.
"If Israel recognizes the Palestinian national rights and withdraws from all
the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 including the West Bank, Gaza Strip
and east Jerusalem, we will examine a mechanism for negotiations," according to
the platform.
Abbas has demanded Hamas to open peace talks with Israel and accept interim
peace deals in the Feb. 22 accreditation letter, which formally tasked Haneya
with forming a new government.
Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, has refused to renounce violence and
abide by previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements.
Considering the Hamas platform too vague, Abbas has urged Hamas to clarify
its positions.
The interim peace deals have envisioned a negotiated solution to the
decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.