Fayyad expressed disappointment after Doha agreement

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Wednesday told reporters he is “disappointed after the high hopes following the Doha Agreement,” signed between Fatah and Hamas in February. President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal agreed in the Qatari capital Doha that Abbas would form and head the new interim government, which generated internal disputes in Hamas movement and led to the postponement of discussing the national unity government formation. When asked how realistic the idea of a Palestinian state without the Gaza Strip is, Fayyad said “It is impossible to have a Palestinian state without Gaza…Reuniting the country is essential to have a sovereign and viable Palestinian state.” He said he does not think the current conditions are right for an effective resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, adding that prospects now are high that a resumption of talks would leave to no different results. Fayyad received a European press delegation from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in his office in Ramallah and thanked the delegation, all of whom are in the Palestinian Territory for the first time, for their interest. He informed the delegation of the economic aftermath of the Israeli occupation and the marginalization of the Palestinian cause due to the Arab Spring. Fayyad said the Quartet needs to pay more attention to several issues, including the Israeli violence in dealing with Palestinian peaceful protests that lead to injuries and fatality; the settlers’ attacks, and the repeated Israeli raids of area ‘A’, under the Palestinian Authority control. He also indicated the importance of allowing PA to have “formal uniformed security presence” in the Palestinian Territory outside area ‘A’, which would “project the PA’s readiness for statehood.” The European delegation started its visit on Monday. They visited projects funded by the European Union in Jericho, East Jerusalem and Hebron. The delegation is also scheduled to visit other projects in the Jordan Valley and Bethlehem within the next few days.