Palestinian prisoners linked to Hamas and Fatah have jointly called for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, to lead negotiations with Israel on the creation of a state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Abbas welcomed the prisoners’ proposals as a means of breaking the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic deadlock. ”This document is very important. I adopt the position of those heroes,” he told reporters in Ramallah. ”It includes a deep and realistic political vision that to a very large extent represents my point of view … and thus I adopt it.”
The document agreed by the prisoners does not include explicit recognition of Israel but it could signify a softening of Hamas’s position. It also called for Palestinians to resist the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
Diplomatic relations have been focused on the refusal of Hamas to recognise Israel, renounce violence and honour previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. The failure of Hamas to agree to these demands has led to an economic blockade that is causing a crisis in Palestinian areas.
Abbas hopes to bypass Hamas by pushing forward peace talks with Israel through his office, which retains international support.
The negotiations were held between Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader, and Abdel Khaleq Natche of Hamas. It was not clear if the Hamas prisoners had any instructions from their outside leadership.
Mushir al-Masri, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza City, agreed with the talks but said they should be more extensive. ”It could be a good base for a national platform and a national dialogue but it still needs more discussion,” he told Associated Press.
Tensions between Fatah and Hamas remain high in the Gaza Strip. Gun battles left three dead in recent days and a further five men were injured in shootings on Thursday. Hamas and Fatah officials each blamed the other side for the violence. The two groups have been in a power struggle since Hamas won January’s parliamentary elections.
The economic blockade of the West Bank and Gaza showed no signs of improvement in spite of resolutions from Israel and the European Union to release supplies and money. Israeli fuel suppliers stopped delivering petrol because of non-payment of bills, leading to filling stations running out on Thursday. However, the Palestinian Authority was expected to release money from its contingency funds to ease the shortage. – Guardian Unlimited Â