RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — In the aftermath of seven weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas, there are few signs of unity in what was supposed to be a Palestinian unity government.
Today, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is blaming Hamas for extending the fighting with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The war left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead, including hundreds of civilians. And Abbas told Palestine TV that “it was possible for us to avoid all of that.” He says Hamas insisted on discussing demands first before ending the war, and that it served only to prolong the violence needlessly.
Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister says the end of the fighting could bring a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian government headed by Abbas. Benjamin Netanyahu tells Israeli TV that it’s still too early to tell if “the new reality,” as he put it, would allow a political process to resume.
The Palestinian Authority formed a unity government backed by Hamas earlier this year. It was supposed to put an end to the animosity between the two Palestinian groups from when Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, forcing out the forces from the Fatah party led by Abbas. Since then, Abbas has governed only in parts of the West Bank, while Hamas has ruled Gaza.
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