Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas yesterday accused the US of undermining efforts to form a new Palestinian coalition government.
"The US administration does not want the Palestinians to be unified. It puts obstacles in the way of this political coming together," Haniyeh said. "It wants to extort the Palestinian people and the Palestinian government."
Haniyeh spoke a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a new Palestinian government would have to accept international demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, which has controlled the Palestinian government since March, caved in to months of sanctions and agreed on Monday to form a unity government with President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. While refusing to give up its calls for Israel's destruction, Hamas said it will support Abbas' efforts to seek peace with the Jewish state.
Palestinians are hopeful that this compromise will be enough for donor nations to resume much-needed aid to the devastated West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Talks are progressing slowly over the makeup of the new unity government.
"For the moment, we haven't reached an agreement on the portfolios," said Salah Bardawil, a spokesman for Hamas in parliament. "Once we begin to discuss in detail specific names, I think the negotiations will be difficult."
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