By Stan Goodenough
Mar 15, 2007
Leaders of the Hamas Islamist terrorist organization and the Fatah secular terrorist organization announced late Wednesday that they have finally reached an agreement on how to proceed with their common goal of slicing up – and then destroying – the State of Israel.
According the reports carried in the Israeli press Thursday, the proposed new Palestinian Authority unity government will Saturday be presented for approval to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
Veteran terror chief and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas will address the PLC session, during which he is expected to insist that the new government abide by all agreements previously signed with Israel.
This is one of the conditions set by the so-called Quartet of nations in order for international sanctions against the PA to be lifted. The United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia – who comprise this Quartet – have said they will wait and see how the new PA turns out before saying how they feel about it.
What Abbas will not do, however, is call for the unity PA’s compliance with the Quartet’s two other key conditions – that it explicitly recognize Israel and renounce terrorism.
Notwithstanding this, some Quartet members have already been arguing for more positive relations with the PA’s Hamas component even if it doesn’t comply.
The Associated Press reports that top Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rudeinah urged the international community to give the government a chance despite misgivings about Hamas.