Hamas, Fatah struggle with language over PLO agreements with Israel

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rival Palestinian groups trying to reconcile and form a national unity government are wrangling over the language of how to address past agreements with Israel, senior Fatah official Samir Ghosheh said on Sunday. Ghosheh, a member of the executive committee of the Fatah-led PLO, said the talks hinged on whether Hamas had to "commit" itself to past PLO agreements with Israel or if the terror group could just "respect" them. The language is sensitive because Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction, is wary of wording that could convey an implicit recognition of Israel. "The essential case here is the government program, and there are two opinions here, one that states the necessity on being committed to PLO obligations, and the other vision ... that is to respect the PLO's obligations," Ghosheh said.