Palestinian president urges Hamas to yield power
Source: AP-Excite
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The new Palestinian unity government faced a new crisis on Sunday after President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to dissolve his alliance with Hamas if the Islamic militant group does not give up power in the Gaza Strip.
The dispute erupted just over two weeks after Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza ended in a cease-fire. Abbas is looking to regain a foothold in Gaza, which suffered heavy losses during the fighting, and expects to play a leading role in internationally backed reconstruction efforts. His comments, which also included harsh criticism of Hamas' conduct in the war, appeared to be part of a brewing power struggle over who will control post-war Gaza.
Hamas has controlled Gaza since overrunning Abbas' forces in 2007. Facing international isolation and a deep financial crisis, the Islamic militant group agreed to the formation of a new unity government with Abbas' Fatah movement in June, in which it would restore governing power to Abbas in the territory. But it has yet to yield power — even after the devastating war against Israel, which killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and caused billions of dollars of damage.
"We will not accept having a partnership if their status in Gaza remains this way," Abbas said late Saturday in Cairo in comments carried by Egypt's state news agency MENA.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas waves to photographers as he arrives to attend an Arab foreign minister meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. Abbas threatened to dissolve a new unity government if the Hamas militant group does not yield power in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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