Abbas to dismantle unity government with Hamas

An aide to Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the Palestinian Authority Chairman plans to declare a state of emergency and dismantle the Hamas-Fatah coalition government. An announcement is to be made shortly, said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief supporters on the issue. A top Abbas aide, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, was to hold a news conference at Abbas' headquarters in Ramallah at 9 p.m.