February 11, 2009 5:20 PM
- Text
U.S. May Shun A Fatah-Hamas Coalition
(CBS/AP)
The United States has informed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it will shun a future Hamas-Fatah coalition government because it will not explicitly recognize Israel, Abbas aides said Thursday.
That position would be a severe blow to Abbas, who is trying to reach a power-sharing deal to end Palestinian infighting and to get crippling international sanctions on the government lifted.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas announced the resignation of his Cabinet on Thursday, and Abbas then authorized Haniyeh to form a new coalition government.
Haniyeh now has five weeks to form the government along the lines of an agreement hammered out last week at a summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
But analysts say without U.S. recognition, it will be hard for the new government to survive, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger.
In other developments:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that the new Palestinian unity government must "openly and clearly" agree with the demands of the Quartet of Middle East negotiators — adopting past agreements, renouncing terrorism, and recognizing Israel.
Olmert also said Israel wanted to make peace with Syria, but he urged Damascus to stop supporting terrorism. Syria has denied the charge.
Olmert is on a two-day visit to Turkey, Israel's closest Muslim ally, to discuss ways to rein in Iran's nuclear program, reports Berger. Israel repeatedly has warned that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, since the Iranian president threatened to wipe the Jewish state off the map. Israel has warm strategic and economic ties with Turkey and sees it as a bridge to the Muslim world.
Israel on Thursday began broadcasting live images of a contentious construction project on the Internet in an effort to allay Muslim fears that the work would damage nearby Islamic shrines. Israel began excavations last week to repair an earthen ramp leading to the hilltop compound known as the Temple Mount to Jews and as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. The head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Raed Saleh, has accused Israel of destroying the mosque and called on his followers to rise up, reports Berger.
Until now, Washington had withheld judgment on the Fatah-Hamas power-sharing deal.
Abbas received word of the new U.S. position in a phone call from a senior U.S. State Department official late Wednesday, the aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue. A U.S. diplomat then delivered the same message to Abbas in person Thursday, the aides said.
The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat would only say that U.S. officials have made it clear to the Palestinians that any government must adhere to the principles laid out by the Quartet of Mideast mediators — recognize Israel, renounce violence and back previous peace deals with Israel.
Erekat met with senior U.S. officials in Washington last week to prepare for a three-way Mideast summit in Jerusalem on Monday. He also was involved in the meeting Thursday between Abbas and the U.S. official.
"The Americans reiterated their position that their relations with the government will depend on the government's compliance with the Quartet's principles," he said.
Olmert told Turkish television that Israel was not happy with the coalition agreement.
That position would be a severe blow to Abbas, who is trying to reach a power-sharing deal to end Palestinian infighting and to get crippling international sanctions on the government lifted.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas announced the resignation of his Cabinet on Thursday, and Abbas then authorized Haniyeh to form a new coalition government.
Haniyeh now has five weeks to form the government along the lines of an agreement hammered out last week at a summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
But analysts say without U.S. recognition, it will be hard for the new government to survive, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger.
In other developments:
(AP)
Until now, Washington had withheld judgment on the Fatah-Hamas power-sharing deal.
Abbas received word of the new U.S. position in a phone call from a senior U.S. State Department official late Wednesday, the aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue. A U.S. diplomat then delivered the same message to Abbas in person Thursday, the aides said.
The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem had no immediate comment.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat would only say that U.S. officials have made it clear to the Palestinians that any government must adhere to the principles laid out by the Quartet of Mideast mediators — recognize Israel, renounce violence and back previous peace deals with Israel.
Erekat met with senior U.S. officials in Washington last week to prepare for a three-way Mideast summit in Jerusalem on Monday. He also was involved in the meeting Thursday between Abbas and the U.S. official.
"The Americans reiterated their position that their relations with the government will depend on the government's compliance with the Quartet's principles," he said.
Olmert told Turkish television that Israel was not happy with the coalition agreement.
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