CAIRO - A leading member of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched an attack on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Abu-Mazen. Mahmoud el-Zahar accused Abu-Mazen of having lost his enthusiasm in proceeding with the reconciliation ratified by Hamas and Fatah in Cairo. It was supposed to end the hostilities that had overwhelmed the two sparring factions since Hamas broke away and controlled the Gaza Strip. El-Zahar said that Abu-Mazen was reluctant to form a national unity government, otherwise he would be in trouble with Washington. In his statement to a local Cairo newspaper, el-Zahar intensified his attack on the President of the Palestinian Authority by saying that Abu-Mazen was under increasing pressure from Washington to reject the proposed national unity, which would supervise the next general elections in Gaza and the West Bank. According to el-Zahar's press statement, Abu-Mazen remained reluctant to give ministerial portfolios to people belonging to Hamas. This new unfortunate sequel to the Hamas-Fatah saga could give Washington another reason to obstruct the Palestinian bid in the UN General Assembly and seek international recognition of the proposed independent Palestinian State. Washington repeatedly threatened that this step would undermine direct Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. These negotiations were frozen when Israel insisted on building further Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Despite the US threat, the Palestinian Authority seems determined to seek the UN's help in fulfilling the Palestinians' long-standing dream. However, the eruption of new differences between Hamas and Fatah would potentially have a negative impact on a promise given to the Palestinians by their president: that they would celebrate the birth of their independent state together. Abu-Mazen will not be able to realise his dream without having Hamas leaders in Gaza or elsewhere on his side when he visits the UN General Congress. Without burying their old differences and ending their endless exchange of accusations, Fatah and Hamas will both suffer much more than ever before.
