PA rejects prospects of peace talks with Israel

A minister with the Palestinian Authority (PA) says there are no prospects of peace talks with the Israeli regime as its hostile policies towards Palestinians continue.

“There is no peace with the occupation, settlements and settlers,” said Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud al-Habbash on Friday.

He went on to say that Israel’s “constant violations against Palestinians” stood in the way of any negotiations with the Tel Aviv regime.

Direct talks between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority were stalled around three weeks after they had resumed in the US in September 2010 due to Tel Aviv’s refusal to extend a partial freeze on its illegal settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Habbash also said the upcoming general elections which might be held in 2013 are aimed at ending the split between rival Palestinians groups, Fatah and Hamas.

“Holding elections is the door to the reconciliation and those who reject them reject the reconciliation,” he said, adding “our hands are open for reconciliation” with Hamas.

“Despite the differences in our way of thinking and approaches, we all live in one homeland and are in the same boat and we’re facing the same challenges, obstacles and enemy,” Habbash added.

Hamas and Fatah are in talks to form a national unity government.

The two sides have been at odds since Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in January 2006, which were lauded as the freest and fairest polls ever held in the Arab world. The dispute marginalized Hamas’ governance to the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip.