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Abbas invites Hamas to join cabinet
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-02 17:10
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has invited members of
the Hamas militant group to join his Cabinet and help ensure a peaceful handover
of the Gaza Strip after Israel withdraws this summer, Abbas' office confirmed
Saturday.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, also known Abu-Mazen, left, receives Jordan's
King Abdullah II, left, before the Fatah central committee meeting, in
Amman, Jordan on Thursday, June 30, 2005. The meeting of the 15-member
Fatah Central Committee Thursday is the first since Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat died in November. [AP] | A Hamas
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had first reported the offer on
Friday. On Saturday, Hamas' West Bank leader, Hassan Yousef, confirmed the group
was considering the offer.
Abbas extended the offer Wednesday after Hamas demanded a special committee
be formed to oversee the transfer of powers in Gaza. Abbas invited them to join
his Cabinet instead.
Israel is worried that Abbas' government isn't strong enough to prevent chaos
in Gaza after Israel completes the pullout in September.
Abbas has promised a smooth transfer of powers and a clampdown on militants
who would fire on withdrawing Israeli soldiers and settlers.
But a fragile truce Abbas reached with Hamas and other militant groups at the
beginning of the year has been unraveling as the pullout approaches.
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