Abbas: Disolving the PA was not an option - Zahhar: No negotiations with Israel

Abbas announces meeting with Mishaal within 10 days

Disolving the PA was not an option

[ 12/11/2011 - 12:49 PM ]

TUNIS, (PIC)-- Palestinian Authority chief and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas announced on Friday that he would meet with Hamas political bureau chairman Khaled Mishaal within the next ten days to iron out reconciliation differences.

He told reporters after meeting with Tunisian transitionaal premier El-Beiji Esebsi in Tunis on Friday that he told the prime minister that national reconciliation was a priority.

Abbas said that he exchanged views with Esebsi on bilateral relations and the negotiations process and the PA steps at the UN Security Council and UNESCO.

Meanwhile, the PA chief told a press conference on Friday night that dissolving the PA was not an option regardless of the result of the voting on Palestine membership at the UN.

He said he did not expect the membership bid to succeed this time, adding that efforts would continue to win full UN membership.

Zahhar: No negotiations with Israel

[ 12/11/2011 - 12:54 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Political bureau member of Hamas Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar has affirmed that his movement had not and would not hold any negotiations with Israel.

He told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published on Saturday that only indirect negotiations were made with Israel for the sake of securing the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for the freedom of the Israeli captive Gilad Shalit.

He said that such indirect negotiations could be only repeated in the event of dealing with a humanitarian issue such as the spread of an epidemic.

Zahhar then questioned the validity of negotiations with Israel as long as the negotiations process which was pursued by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas had proven its failure, describing the process as a “waste of time”.

The Hamas leader refused to link between the calm in Gaza and the prisoners’ exchange deal with Israel, explaining that the two issues are completely separate.

He also pointed out that the Israeli siege on Gaza was in force soon after Hamas won the elections and not imposed after the capture of Shalit.

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