Abbas must form government

Leading Fatah member Jamal Muheisen Ramallah – Nihad Al Taweel Fatah Central Council member Jamal Muheisen called upon the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to issue two presidential decrees, one for holding elections and the other for forming an independent technocratic government. In a statement to Arab Today on Tuesday, Muheisen denied that choosing August 14 to resume Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in Occupied Jerusalem conflicts with Fatah’s ambition to end the division with the rival Hamas movement. According to Muheisen it is Hamas that has been delaying reconciliation. When asked about media reports suggesting that leading Fatah members may travel to Gaza to hold reconciliation talks with Hamas, Muheisen said that Fatah is ready for talks to implement what was agreed during the Cairo and Doha meetings. Meanwhile, Hamas  Vice President Moussa Abu Marzouk wrote on his Facebook page “Wednesday August 14 will witness the discussion of forming a national consensus government, the first batch Palestinian prisoners  being freed from Israeli jails, Zionist negotiations with Palestine in Jerusalem and approval of the construction of 1128 housing units in Jerusalem and West Bank,” adding that “all these issues are connected and the decision to resume negotiations was not supported by all national factions.” He pointed out that by announcing that it will expand the settlements, Israel is telling the Palestinians that there will be no preconditions for peace talks and no change in the issue of settlements and if the Palestinians accept Israel will in return free some prisoners but in three stages to be able to observe their behaviour. Commenting on Abu Marzouk’s statement Muheisen told Arab Today that “setting August 14 as a final date for reconciliation happened in May, when there was no agreement to resume any peace talks or build more settlements. Fatah and Hamas agreed during their meeting in Cairo in May 2013 to hold permanent sessions starting from May 14 until the formation of new Palestinian national consensus government, and to set a date for elections according to the three-month time time-table that will come to an end next Wednesday.