Ramallah (dpa) – Hamas on Friday called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to suspend peace talks with Israel after the Israeli army arrested two members of the Islamist group. The Israeli army arrested parliament speaker Aziz Dweik at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah and lawmaker Khaled Tafesh in nearby Bethlehem. Both are members of Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organization. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met three times in Jordan this month to explore the possibility of renewing peace negotiations that have been stalled for 16 months. Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, is opposed to Abbas's peace moves. A new meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators is set to take place in Jordan next week. Israel's arrests could hamper Abbas's efforts to implement an Egyptian-brokered unity deal with Hamas. The two rivals signed the deal last year, ending a feud that started after Hamas won a parliamentary election in 2006. Under the unity deal, parliamentary and presidential elections would be held in May. Dweik was arrested in 2006 and spent three years in jail. Israel arrested dozens of Hamas lawmakers after the group's 2006 election victory. Palestinians say some 24 Hamas lawmakers remain in jail. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 after routing Fatah forces loyal to Abbas. Abbas's Fatah governs the Israeli-occupied West Bank. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/baJYL Tags: Hamas, Israel, Mahmoud Abbas Section: Latest News, Palestine
