Haniya accuses Abbas over deadlock
Haniya blames the suffering of the Palestinians on sanctions and the Israeli occupation.
“The statistics reflect the destructive consequences of the economic sanctions imposed upon the Palestinian people since the elections as well as the suspension of aid that used to come from the EU and others,” he said.
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“This is evidence that the money which used to come to us was politicised” Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian Prime Minister |
“This is evidence that the money which used to come to us was politicised. When they realised that these political demands and aims were unattainable through this government, they tried to stop the flow of money and tried to bring down this government.
No compromise
“I do not deny the suffering and harsh conditions, however, the Palestinian people are determined to secure their rights. An insistence that we should never compromise our rights. Therefore, it is not true that food is equal to land that food is more important than the choice of the free people. Because whoever loses his political identity, loses everything in this world.”
On the issue of how Hamas would react if the government is dissolved by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, Haniya said: “President Abbas has the constitutional right to dismiss the prime minister. However, the question is: What next? This would be a step in the wrong direction. It will conflict with the will and choice of the Palestinian people.
“It will have severe and complex consequences on the internal political scene. Therefore, I sincerely hope that President Abbas restarts Palestinian dialogue and abides by what was previously agreed regarding the national unity government.”
Unity government
Haniya accused the presidency for the failure of discussions regarding the national unity government.
“Hamas was flexible as much as possible in these discussions and offered very difficult concessions for the sake of our people.
“The discussions stopped because the brothers and the presidency went back on their words, most significantly retracting their agreement that we should form a government based on the results of the parliamentary elections.
“So long as there exists a parliamentary majority, then this majority possesses the right to hold the most important cabinet posts because this majority will be held accountable by the people.
“This is where the problem emerged. The problem is that our brothers at the president’s office do not wish that these posts be nominated by Hamas. This in itself is a withdrawal from previous agreements.”