Abbas: Israel’s goal is to destroy unity government

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas returns to Ramallah from Qatar where he met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Mahmoud Abbas (photo credit: REUTERS)
Mahmoud Abbas
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday night convened an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah to discuss the latest developments surrounding the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip.
The meeting came as Abbas canceled a planned visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Ramallah from Qatar, where he held talks with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on ways of ending the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
A PA official in Ramallah said that Abbas was “furious” with Mashaal for rejecting his demand that Hamas accept the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that was announced last week.
Abbas also met in Doha with Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who arrived unexpectedly in Jeddah late Tuesday for talks with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz.
In a televised speech after the meeting of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, Abbas again condemned the Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip, saying its main goal was to “destroy our cause and thwart the reconciliation [with Hamas].”


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