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Hamas to Form Cabinet, Loser Fatah Not Joining
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"President
Abbas will give Hamas the task of forming the government, in which
Fatah will not participate," said Erakat. (Reuters)
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RAMALLAH,
West Bank, January 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was expected Thursday, January 26,
to ask the resistance group Hamas, tipped to have swept the
legislative polls and secured a parliamentary majority, to form the
new cabinet, amid increasing signals from his defeated Fatah that it
would not join any coalition government.
"President
Abbas will give Hamas the task of forming the government, in which
Fatah will not participate," chief negotiator Saeb Erakat, a
leading Fatah member, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"The
victors must assume their responsibilities towards our people in every
field -- political, security, economic and national," he added.
The
Palestinian Central Election Commission said the vote count had not
been completed and that it would make an official announcement later
on Thursday evening.
However,
officials in both Hamas and Fatah concurred the resistance group
appeared to have captured a large majority of seats in Wednesday's
legislative elections, the first in a decade.
Acknowledging
the defeat, Premier Ahmed Qorei and his cabinet ministers resigned
Thursday.
"This
is the choice of the people. It should be respected," he said.
But
the government remained in office in a caretaker capacity.
Under
the law, Abbas must ask the largest party in the new parliament to
form the next government.
Coalition
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"Hamas is not going to work alone, but with the other groups who represent the Palestinian people," Haniya said.
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Winner
Hamas said it remains ready to negotiate with Abbas and other parties
on political partnership.
"Hamas
is not going to work alone, but with the other groups who represent
the Palestinian people," chief candidate Ismail Haniya said
Thursday.
"We
will negotiate with Abu Mazen (Abbas) and other parties over forming a
political partnership.
"We
want to work with you together because the challenges facing the
Palestinian people are great and the fight is still long," he
said, addressing his remarks to long-dominant Fatah.
"We
will meet Abu Mazen and other groups, and doubtless we will reach a
satisfactory formula for all the Palestinian people," Haniya
said.
He
added that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal had telephoned Abbas from
Damascus to "thank him for the elections", telling him that
the ballot had "opened the door to national unity".
"He
(Meshaal) stressed Hamas insists on a partnership with all the
Palestinian factions, especially our brothers in Fatah," Hamas
said on its Web site.
Haniya
also said he would consult all resistance factions on future political
partnerships.
Before
the elections, Hamas said it does not want to govern alone, and would
prefer to bring Fatah into a coalition.
Haniya
called on Washington to respect the result of the elections.
"I
call on the American administration to respect ... the will of the
Palestinian people and the result of the ballot."
Israel
and the United States have said they would not deal with a government
led by Hamas.
Maneuvering
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Supporters of Hamas celebrate their stunning election victory. (Reuters)
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As
political maneuvering gathered steam, long-dominant Fatah signaled it
might leave Hamas bearing the burden of governing alone and set itself
up as the main opposition party in parliament.
"We
will set as the loyal opposition in parliament," Erekat told Al-Jazeera
news channel.
Jibril
Al-Rajoub, national security advisor and a senior Fatah official,
agreed.
"Fatah
rejects participating in a government formed by Hamas," he told
Reuters. "Hamas has to take up its responsibilities. Fatah will
act as a responsible opposition."
Nabil
Amr, a former minister and leading Fatah member, was of the same
position.
"Fatah
will not join any government under Hamas," he told the Doha-based
broadcaster.
Abbas
was backing the push for Fatah to stay out of any Hamas-led cabinet,
sources close to him said, adding that Fatah's executive would have
the final say.
Before
the election, members of Fatah's younger leadership generation had
suggested forming a national unity government with Hamas following the
ballot.
Fatah
has held a near-monopoly on power since the Palestinian Authority was
created in 1994.
But
it has been divided by infighting in recent years, and its future is
now uncertain.
Pundits
believe many Palestinians voted to punish Fatah for corruption and
mismanagement.
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