Last update - 00:00 15/06/2007
Haniyeh: Abbas decision to fire government 'hasty'
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said early Friday that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' decision to fire him and his government over Gaza violence was hasty, pledging to maintain the unity coalition.
Haniyeh told a late night Gaza news conference that Abbas and his advisers did not consider the consequences (of the decision) and its effects on the situation on the ground.
Abbas, who is in Ramallah in the West Bank, reacted to the Hamas military takeover of Gaza by declaring a state of emergency and dismissing Haniyeh, from Hamas, and his government, which included representatives of Abbas' Fatah.
Haniyeh rejected the dissolution of his government. "We will continue our relations with factions ... and continue with a national unity government," he said.
Haniyeh rejected the possibility of a separate Palestinian state in Gaza, without the West Bank, an option that has been raised by Israelis, among others. He said Hamas would impose order in Gaza, and he called for an end to violence.
The Hamas leader's news conference followed Abbas' decision late Thursday to declare a state of emergency and to dissolve the Hamas-Fatah coalition government, following Hamas' near-complete takeover in the Gaza Strip.
Abbas' Fatah movement and rival faction Hamas have been waging bloody warfare in the Gaza Strip as Hamas moved in to seize control; at least 80 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of this week.
The decisions were announced in a news conference by top Abbas aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim.
The PA chairman also intends to call for the deployment of a multi-national force in Gaza, and plans to appoint an independent politician as the new Palestinian prime minister, to replace Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, his aides said earlier.
Abbas had already informed the United States, Egypt and Jordan of his decision, Rahim said.
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