Fatah-Hamas deal will halt so-called peace talks: ex-lawmaker

May 2, 2011 - 0:0

TEHRAN - Former lawmaker Hamidreza Taraqi has said that the reconciliation deal between the Palestinian movements of Fatah and Hamas will halt the U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

Acting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement and the Islamic resistance movement Hamas struck a deal on Wednesday to form an interim unity government and fix a date for general election.
The deal, which took many officials by surprise because of profound Fatah-Hamas divisions over how to resolve generations of conflict with Israel, was thrashed out in Egypt and followed a series of secret meetings.
Taraqi told the Mehr News Agency on Sunday, “The agreement between the Palestinian movements of Fatah and Hamas will not only halt the peace talks, but will also strengthen the resistance movement.”
“The agreement led to the formation of a united front against Zionism,” added Taraqi, who is a senior member of the Islamic Coalition Party.
He added that the deal will change the situation in Palestine for better and will help the Palestinians achieve great victories in their fight against the Zionist regime.
Palestinian unity could endanger Zionist regime: ambassador
In addition, the Iranian ambassador to Damascus told the Mehr News Agency on Sunday that the Palestinian national unity could pose a serious danger to the Zionist regime.
Ambassador Ahmad Mousavi stated that Iran has always emphasized the importance of unity among Palestinians.
He also cited lack of support of certain Arab governments for Palestine, the plots hatched against the resistance movement, and the normalization of relations between Palestine and Israel as the impediments to unity among Palestinians.
Mousavi, who is also the presidential advisor for Palestinian affairs, went on to say that “the deal between Fatah and Hamas was the demand of the people of Palestine.”
Pointing to the fact that the agreement was brokered in Egypt, Mousavi stated that Egypt is no longer subservient to the Zionist regime