Zahhar: Fatah's cooperation with Israel stalling unity

Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar on Thursday said Fatah's cooperation with Israel was stalling national reconciliation. Hamas does not recognize Israel while Fatah, which leads the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, coordinates with Israel under agreements signed in the 1990s. Zahhar, speaking at a conference on the Arab Spring in Gaza City, said Fatah's security coordination had delayed the implementation of an agreement signed by the rival factions last May. Hamas chief Khalid Mashaal and Fatah leader and President Mahmoud Abbas agreed in Doha in February to form a unity government headed by the president, but the administration has yet to be formed and the factions continue to trade blame for the delay. Meanwhile, Zahhar said revolutions across the Arab world would benefit the Palestinian cause. But he urged new rulers in the region to ensure internal order and said rebels must avoid sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Israel will fight the Arab Spring and its goals because Tel Aviv seeks to dominate the region, Zahhar said, adding that it sought to attack Iran because it feared any powerful rivals.