Al-Zahar : Reconciliation is stalled and Abbas has to decide

Leader of Islamic movement Hamas, Mahmoud Al-Zahar called on the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to make a decisive decision regarding the Palestinian reconciliation in order to apply it on the ground. In an interview with the Middle East News Agency in Gaza, Al-Zahar said that ‘what deters the reconciliation from happening is actually some excuses the Palestinian authority says such as US pressures and the threat to cut salaries, in addition to Israeli threats to cancel the Oslo agreement.’ Al –Zahar also mentioned that Hamas will not accept Salam Fayyad to be the head of the new government. He said: “Hamas has reservations on Fayyad as he runs an illegitimate government; in addition to that he has security cooperation with Israel while Palestinians are still in Israeli prisons. He also explained that Fayyad’s government had handed over the government to Hamas with an estimated debt of $1.7 billion. Al-Zahar confirmed that Fayyad is not capable to be the head of the unity government because he believes that he is not able to deal with the economic and political situation, or even security. Al-Zahar said that the reconciliation process is stalled now. He also said that there is no point ofAbbas’s visit to Gaza before they apply the reconciliation process on the ground. Regarding the Arab Spring, Al Zahar said that the Arab word along with the Palestinians will be the winners and Israeli will definitely be the losers.