Last update - 00:00 10/12/2007
Saudis welcome Meshal in bid to broker new Hamas-Fatah talks
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Saudi Arabia and Egypt are pushing Hamas and Fatah to meet in an effort to resolve the deep rift in the Palestinian movements, as Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal visits Riyadh this week.
Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said that Meshal, who arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, would meet with senior Saudi officials to update them on the status of contact between Fatah and Hamas, which of late, has reached a dead-end.
A Fatah leader in the West Bank, Hatham Abed al-Kadr, said Sunday that Egypt has been in contact recently with Fatah and Hamas officials in attempt to bring the two sides for a meeting in Cairo after the culmination of the Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice) in about two weeks.
According to al-Kadr, the Egyptian mediation was aimed at opening negotiations between Hamas and Fatah.
Fayad Sayam, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said Sunday night that there have been a few meetings of late between representatives of the two groups, though none has yielded results.
Hamas spokesman Taha said his organization welcome the Saudi efforts to solve the internal Palestinian crisis, adding that Hamas was ready for early negotiations without conditions in order to bring an end to the schism.
Last week, Egypt and Saudi Arabia arranged with Israel to allow some 2,000 Palestinians from Gaza to go to Saudi Arabia via the Kerem Shalom and Allenby Bridge border crossings for the hajj celebrations.
The Palestinian Authority, which had invested huge efforts in organizing the pilgrims' trip to Saudi Arabia in a bid to improve President Mahmoud Abbas' status in the Gaza Strip, was enraged when it learned that Egypt and Saudi Arabia had coordinated the exits with Hamas via the Rafah crossing.
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's adviser Ahmed Yusef told Haaretz that he sent a rare letter to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declaring that Hamas was interested in opening dialogue with the U.S. and the European Union.
He said political parties would be required to reveal their sources of
funding, and provide details on their activists.
The ministers did not refer to Hamas by name. However, the Islamic militant
group is receiving millions of dollars in support from abroad, including money
from Iran and donations to Hamas-linked charitie
The Palestinian government in the West Bank discussed Monday a bill that would require political parties to obtain licenses, two cabinet ministers said.
Such a law could target the Islamic militant Hamas, which seized control of Gaza by force in June. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denounced the idea. "We don't need a license from anyone," he said.
The proposed legislation was discussed Monday by the government appointed by Hamas' rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In recent months, the West Bank government has increasingly moved against Hamas, arresting hundreds of activists, outlawing Hamas-linked charities and cutting off funds.
Prisoner Affairs Minister Ashraf Ajrami said the law "wants to organize the existing factions and new ones ... to they would be able to obtain a license."
Planning Minister Samir Abdullah said the bill is still being studied, and hasn't been approved by the cabinet yet. "This law is going to affect all factions and movements," he said. Palestinian factions are not registered and work randomly. This law is going to organize things."
He said political parties would be required to reveal their sources of funding, and provide details on their activists. The ministers did not refer to Hamas by name. However, the Islamic militant group is receiving millions of dollars in support from abroad, including money from Iran and donations to Hamas-linked charities.
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