PALESTINE: PFLP willing to join Hamas government

On May 28, the left-nationalist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced that it had informed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh that it was willing to enter into negotiations on joining the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. AFP reported on May 29: "The PFLP, which holds three seats in the 132-member parliament, refused to join the Hamas government in March over Hamas's failure to recognise the supremacy of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), headed by [Palestinian Authority president and PLO chairperson] Abbas." Hamas is currently not a member of the PLO. A statement by PFLP politburo member Nasser Kafarneh cited the reason for the group's decision as: "Developments [since March], notably what brother Ismail Hanniyeh announced in the policy statement following agreement with the various national and Islamic groups on the need to reactivate and modernize the PLO and work seriously for consolidating it as the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people."

From Green Left Weekly, June 7, 2006.

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From GLW issue 670