Fayyad Resignation Challenges Hamas... and Hamas Challenges West - 2009-03-07

Today's (Saturday's) surprise resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to make way for a possible unity government between formerly warring factions, will not be enough on its own to broker Palestinian reconciliation according to members of a high-level EU delegation engaged in its own talks with Palestinian officials in Ramallah today.

British Euro MP Richard Howitt who is a member of the four person European Parliament delegation says this week's words by American and European Governments at the Sharm donors conference in favour of the peace process would need to be translated into a concrete promise of cooperation to help make the new government possible.

Richard Howitt MEP, member of the four MEP delegation advising on European policy in relation to the reconciliation process, the Gaza conflict and the recent Israeli elections, speaking from Ramallah said:

"Prime Minister Fayyad partly owes his position to the confidence of Western governments, and it will be necessary for the international community to indicate it will find an accommodation with Hamas in a new unity government, if Hamas will be able to find an accommodation with Fatah.

"The Prime Minister has bestowed an important legacy for reform and good governance which has to be protected.

"But Hamas will certainly veto Fayyad from leading a new government and Europe has to show enough flexibility in applying existing principles to avoid being part of vetoing the new government itself."

Richard Howitt MEP is part of the European Parliament delegation assessing European policy on the Middle East Peace Process in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, 5-8 March 2009. The European Union refused to directly aid the previously short-lived Palestinian unity government owing to Hamas' failure to abide by the "Quartet" principles, including the right of the state of Israel to exist.

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