Hamas minsters step down

Palestinian Cabinet ministers from Hamas handed in their resignations today, a step toward forming a unity government with the moderate Fatah.

Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said in a statement that the ministers handed their portfolios over to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader.

This is the first procedural step towards the formation of the new unity government. The next one would be Mr Haniyeh’s handing in his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas, who would then pick a candidate to form a new government – probably Mr Haniyeh.

Mr Hamad said in his statement, “All the ministers have placed their ministerial portfolios under the authority of the prime minister, as a way of easing the path toward forming a national unity government.”

President Abbas said earlier today that he planned to send a delegation to the United Nations General Assembly session next week to try to revive the long-stalled “road map” peace plan.

The internationally-backed road map, a staged plan that calls for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, was launched by President George W. Bush with great fanfare at a summit in Aqaba, Jordan, in June 2003. But neither the Palestinians nor Israel met their initial obligations, and the plan never got off the ground.

“We want to revive the road map at the United Nations,” Mr Abbas said during a televised news conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said: “We’re all for the restarting of the road map”. He added that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke about revitalising the plan over the weekend with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Abbas statement was a clear sign the Palestinians were trying to capitalise on their agreement to form a national unity government to revive peace talks and end their international isolation. Western governments froze aid and halted contacts with the Palestinian Authority after the violent Islamic Hamas won January parliamentary elections and formed a government.

Mr Hamad said the resignation of the ministers would not paralyse the government. “We will keep working normally,” he said. There is no timetable for forming the new government, as talks over policy and portfolios continue, Hamad said.

Hamas officials said yesterday that they would not object to Mr Abbas restarting peace talks with Israel. Hamas rejects the existence of a Jewish state in the Middle East, but Fatah favours peace negotiations.

Speaking at a party meeting tonight, Mr Olmert included the Palestinians among the “problems that threaten Israel’s existence,” but said Israel would pursue the possibility of talks that “will pave the way to serious dialogue that might lead us many steps forward”.

Israel, the US and the European Union label Hamas a terror group and insist it must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previous peace accords. US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the US would not resume aid until the Palestinian government accepted all the conditions.

The aid cut-off, and Israel’s refusal to transfer taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, has led to a severe financial crisis in Palestinian towns and left the government unable to pay full salaries to its 165,000 workers for the past six months.

Planning Minister Samir Abu Eisha, who was also acting as finance minister, said Wednesday that if Israel restored the tax transfers, it would more than make up the nearly 300 million dollars in back pay the Palestinian Authority owed its employees.

“This is our right. We should have this money,” he said.

He added that the Palestinian Authority also expected to be able to pay the workers a month’s salary before the holy month of Ramadan, which starts in about 10 days. He did not say where that money would come from, but said the government was reaching out to Arab countries.

:: A military judge today held a hearing for three Hamas officials arrested following the June 25 capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas-linked militants. The court decided last week to release the men on bail, but prosecutors appealed.

Today the prosecutions said the men might flee. The judge asked for written arguments by today, and in the meantime the three were kept in custody.

Tomorrow a military judge is to hear a prosecution appeal against the release of 18 other Hamas officials arrested in the sweep.