Middle East: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and prime minister Ismail Haniyeh began talks in Gaza yesterday that were expected to lead to a deal on a unity government, potentially easing sanctions against the Hamas-led authority.
The talks came hours after a Palestinian woman blew herself up near Israeli troops in a Gaza town where Israeli forces had killed two women acting as human shields.
Fatah leader Mr Abbas and Mr Haniyeh, a leader of Hamas, have held on-again off-again talks over recent months. It was not clear exactly what sort of deal might be struck yesterday, but it was expected that a new prime minister would be named in place of Mr Haniyeh, officials said. A government spokesman said a candidate had been chosen but would provide no names.
One Hamas source said the health minister in the Hamas-led administration, Basim Naeem, was a front-runner, but it was not clear if Mr Abbas would accept such a candidate as he might be deemed to be too close to Hamas, an Islamist group.
"Palestine is bigger than all of us," Mr Haniyeh told his cabinet in what sounded like a farewell speech. "It is very easy for us to move to another position in the interests [of our people]."
- (Reuters)