RAMALLAH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official on Tuesday said he has no big hope in reviving stalled peace talks with Israel after the latter's parties agreed to form a unity government.
Considering the deal an Israeli internal affair, Nabil Shaath of the Palestinian mainstream Fatah party said this agreement " will bring nothing new to the Palestinian-Israeli relations as long as Benjamin Netanyahu's policies remain in place."
Shaath told Xinhua that Netanyahu "doesn't recognize the Palestinian people's right to have their independent state on the territories that Israel has occupied in 1967."
"Reshuffling governments, changing them or even going to early elections are not the basic things as long as Netanyahu avoids the requirements of the peace process and sticks to his settlement policies," Shaath added, referring to the continuation of Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank.
Netanyahu suddenly struck a deal with the head of the Israeli opposition Kadima party Shaul Mofaz, canceling an early elections that were scheduled in September.
Nemer Hammad, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that any Israeli government will be judged according to its actions on the ground regarding the Palestinian cause.
He added that the upcoming Israeli government should "seize the settlement activities and recognize the two-state solution to allow the resumption of the negotiations."
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization, accused Netanyahu of " maneuvering" to reduce internal public pressure on his government, which did not make progress in peace with the Palestinians.
Front Page Features