Hamas, Fatah try to sell their unity deal

“We are trying to market the agreement and get international support for it,” said Nabil Amr, a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday.

Western governments have only given muted reactions to Thursday’s agreement between Abbas’ Fatah faction and the Islamic militant group Hamas — dashing Palestinian hopes that the deal would lead to a quick end to the sanctions.

International leaders said they want to study the deal further and see whether it changes the situation on the ground.

The Quartet of Mideast mediators — the US, the UN, Russia and the European Union — had demanded that the militant Hamas group, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections last year, recognise Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence and accept past peace deals.

Hamas, listed as a terror group by Israel, the US and the EU, is responsible for scores of deadly suicide bombings in Israel.

The Palestinian deal, negotiated in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, says only that the new government pledges to “respect” previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements. It makes no reference to recognising Israel or renouncing violence.

Israeli officials said on the emerging Palestinian government’s platform do not meet its demand for an explicit commitment to all three Quartet conditions. The Israeli Cabinet was expected to issue a statement after its meeting on Sunday.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert might cut ties with Abbas if he were to partner with a government that does not recognise Israel. A government official characterised those reports as “speculation.”

But opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, of the Likud Party, said that to do otherwise would be a tacit acceptance of Hamas by Israel, which has urged the international community to maintain its political and economic boycott of the militant group. “To my regret it’s not that Hamas is shifting in the direction of Abu Mazen, Abu Mazen is moving toward Hamas,” Netanyahu told Israeli Army Radio, using Abbas’ nickname. “For him to give legitimacy to Hamas is bad. For us to give legitimacy to Hamas would be worse still.”

Abbas, Fatah leader who pushed for a deal for months, is hoping that diplomacy with every member of the Quartet will help end the embargo imposed on the Palestinian Authority after Hamas’ election last year. The embargo has frozen roughly $1 billion in annual foreign aid and about $500 million in tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians, crippling the Palestinian government.

– JOSEF FEDERMAN