Yousef Alhelou: New political crisis looms as PM Haniyeh lays down preconditions
Sources close to the Hamas movement have told Ma'an that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is delaying the resignation of his current government until President Mahmoud Abbas agrees on 3 preconditions:
First: Endorsement of all the decisions that the Hamas-led government has made since their election victory, including the establishment of the pro-Hamas Executive Force, which is under the command of the interior ministry, and the other appointments.
Second: Agreement in advance on the candidate for the interior portfolio.
Third: Considering Ziad Abu Amr, the proposed minister of foreign affairs, as an independent figure chosen by Fatah, not by Hamas.
The spokesperson of the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rdeinah commented on these pre-conditions, saying that they "are contradictory to the spirit of national unity to which the Mecca agreement was devoted".
He described the laying down of preconditions as "unacceptable means of blackmail, since the Mecca agreement was very clear and so any pre-conditioning will be understood as trying to evade the national responsibilities imposed on the parties which signed that agreement."
Hamas demands the release of the remaining 35 Palestinian ministers and legislators detained in Israeli jails
The Hamas movement in the West Bank has released a statement demanding that legal and human rights institutions practice their role and put pressure on the Israeli authorities to release all the Palestinian cabinet ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), who were seized by the Israeli forces over the last year and detained in Israeli prisons.
This statement came after the release of the PLC member representing Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Ahmad Al-Mubarak.
The statement contained a brief outline detailing the Palestinian politicians and legislators still detained in Israeli jails:
Aziz Dweik, Hebron
Bassem Ahmad Musa Al-Zagharir, Hebron
Marwan Al-Barghouthi, Ramallah
Muhammad Maher Yusef Mohamed Bader, Hebron
Abu Ali Yata, Hebron
Issa Khayri Issa Al-Ja'bari, Hebron
Ahmad Sa'adat, Ramallah
Muhammad Mitlak Abu Jhesheh, Hebron
Imad Mahmud Rajeh Nofal, Qalqilya
Samir Saleh Ibrahim Al-Qadi, Hebron
Yasser Daoud Suleiman Mansour, Nablus
Khalil Musa Khalis Rab'i, Hebron
Husni Muhammad Ahmad Burini, Nablus
Muhammad Ismail Othman Al-Tal, Hebron
Ibrahim Muhammad Saleh Dahbour, Jenin
Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Atwan, Jerusalem
Khalid Abed Al-Qader Abed-Allah Yahya, Jenin
Ali Musallam Romanin, Jericho
Khalid Suleiman Fawaz Abu Hassan, Jenin
Muhammad Abu Tir, Jerusalem
Riyad Ali Emla, Nablus
Dr. Ibrahim Abu Salem, Jerusalem
Riyad Mahmoud Salim Radad, Tulkarem
Mahmoud Al-Ramahi, Ramallah
Fathi Muhammad Ali Kar'awi, Tulkarem
Muhammad Jamal Al-Natsheh, Hebron
Nasser Abdullah Odeh Abed Al-Jawad, Salfit
Nizar Ramadan, Hebron
Omar Mahmoud Matar Matar, Salfit
Hassan Yusef, Ramallah
Wa'el Muhammad Abed Al-Fatah Al-Husseini, Jerusalem
Mahmoud Misleh, Ramallah
Abed Al-Jaber Mustafa Fuqaha', Ramallah
Muhammad Totah, Jerusalem
Anwar Muhammad Abed Al-Rahman Zaboun, Bethlehem
By Yousef Alhelou
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
Sources close to the Hamas movement have told Ma'an that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is delaying the resignation of his current government until President Mahmoud Abbas agrees on 3 preconditions:
First: Endorsement of all the decisions that the Hamas-led government has made since their election victory, including the establishment of the pro-Hamas Executive Force, which is under the command of the interior ministry, and the other appointments.
Second: Agreement in advance on the candidate for the interior portfolio.
Third: Considering Ziad Abu Amr, the proposed minister of foreign affairs, as an independent figure chosen by Fatah, not by Hamas.
The spokesperson of the Palestinian presidency, Nabil Abu Rdeinah commented on these pre-conditions, saying that they "are contradictory to the spirit of national unity to which the Mecca agreement was devoted".
He described the laying down of preconditions as "unacceptable means of blackmail, since the Mecca agreement was very clear and so any pre-conditioning will be understood as trying to evade the national responsibilities imposed on the parties which signed that agreement."
Hamas demands the release of the remaining 35 Palestinian ministers and legislators detained in Israeli jails
The Hamas movement in the West Bank has released a statement demanding that legal and human rights institutions practice their role and put pressure on the Israeli authorities to release all the Palestinian cabinet ministers and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), who were seized by the Israeli forces over the last year and detained in Israeli prisons.
This statement came after the release of the PLC member representing Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Ahmad Al-Mubarak.
The statement contained a brief outline detailing the Palestinian politicians and legislators still detained in Israeli jails:
Aziz Dweik, Hebron
Bassem Ahmad Musa Al-Zagharir, Hebron
Marwan Al-Barghouthi, Ramallah
Muhammad Maher Yusef Mohamed Bader, Hebron
Abu Ali Yata, Hebron
Issa Khayri Issa Al-Ja'bari, Hebron
Ahmad Sa'adat, Ramallah
Muhammad Mitlak Abu Jhesheh, Hebron
Imad Mahmud Rajeh Nofal, Qalqilya
Samir Saleh Ibrahim Al-Qadi, Hebron
Yasser Daoud Suleiman Mansour, Nablus
Khalil Musa Khalis Rab'i, Hebron
Husni Muhammad Ahmad Burini, Nablus
Muhammad Ismail Othman Al-Tal, Hebron
Ibrahim Muhammad Saleh Dahbour, Jenin
Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Atwan, Jerusalem
Khalid Abed Al-Qader Abed-Allah Yahya, Jenin
Ali Musallam Romanin, Jericho
Khalid Suleiman Fawaz Abu Hassan, Jenin
Muhammad Abu Tir, Jerusalem
Riyad Ali Emla, Nablus
Dr. Ibrahim Abu Salem, Jerusalem
Riyad Mahmoud Salim Radad, Tulkarem
Mahmoud Al-Ramahi, Ramallah
Fathi Muhammad Ali Kar'awi, Tulkarem
Muhammad Jamal Al-Natsheh, Hebron
Nasser Abdullah Odeh Abed Al-Jawad, Salfit
Nizar Ramadan, Hebron
Omar Mahmoud Matar Matar, Salfit
Hassan Yusef, Ramallah
Wa'el Muhammad Abed Al-Fatah Al-Husseini, Jerusalem
Mahmoud Misleh, Ramallah
Abed Al-Jaber Mustafa Fuqaha', Ramallah
Muhammad Totah, Jerusalem
Anwar Muhammad Abed Al-Rahman Zaboun, Bethlehem
By Yousef Alhelou
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com