'Abbas's insistence on Fayyad derailing Palestinian unity'

Senior Hamas official says reconciliation deal will fail if PA president continues to push for Fayyad to head unity government.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)
Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk on Wednesday said that the Palestinian reconciliation deal is in danger of failing following statements by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that there would be no unity government unless Hamas accepts Salam Fayyad as prime minister.
Palestinian daily Felesteen quoted Marzouk as saying Abbas's insistence on Fayyad "is not reasonable."
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He blamed Abbas for threatening to "return the Palestinians to the pre-reconciliation situation."
Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Legislative Council, said last week that the Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah was on hold, but the two sides were nevertheless continuing to hold consultations on solving the crisis.
Abbas believes that western financial aid would be in jeopardy if Fayyad was not allowed to serve as prime minister of the unity government.