Hamas Seeks Changes To Palestinian Reconciliation Deal

Hamas Movement leader Khaled Mashaal, left Ramadan Shallah, Islamic Jihad head, and Ahmed Jibril, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine head in Damascus, 11 Oct 2009Palestinian militant group Hamas says it has rejected anEgyptian-mediated proposal to reconcile with the rival Fatah group,because it does not include a clause on Palestinians' right to resistIsraeli occupation.

Hamas and several other Syria-basedPalestinian factions issued a joint statement Thursday saying they willnot sign the unity deal unless it is revised.

Hamas said thecurrent agreement makes no reference to its conflict with Israel orwhat it referred to as Israeli "aggression" against Palestinians.

Hamasdoes not recognize Israel's right to exist, while Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah party, has held talks with Israeliofficials in the past.

Fatah has already approved the proposed unity deal with Hamas and said it would deliver a signed copy to Egypt on Thursday.

Egypthas been working for months to get Fatah and Hamas to sign a unitydeal, but the Palestinian factions have repeatedly delayed it.

The agreement would clear the way for Palestinian elections to be held in June of next year.  

Fatah controlled Palestinian politics until it was defeated by the Hamas Islamist movement in a 2006 election.

Therift deepened in 2007 when Hamas militants seized control of the GazaStrip, forcing President Abbas to set up his government in the WestBank.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.