Hamas, Fatah Sign Agreement
The Saudi-brokered deal caps months of on-again, off-again coalition talks, interspersed with fighting. The key disputes had been control over three ministries _ Foreign, Finance and the Interior _ as well as the language in the new government’s program addressing previous peace agreements with Israel.
In the end, the new coalition pledges to “respect” such deals, instead of “committing to” them, as Abbas initially demanded, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. and Israel will be ready to deal with the new coalition. The international community has said any Palestinian government must recognize Israel explicitly.
The headline link on CNN’s front page:
• U.S., Israel cautious about pact
Inside Headline and moe appropriate headline: Hamas, Fatah work out power-sharing deal
In Washington, the State Department issued a cautious statement late Thursday that avoided judgment on reports of a deal.
“In terms of what the outcome of those discussions look like and whether they meet the Quartet principles, I think we’ll just have to see,” State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said earlier.
…Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin would not say whether Israel believes the guidelines of the new government fulfill those requirements.
“Israel expects a new Palestinian government to respect and accept all three of the international community principles,” Eisin told The Associated Press after the accord was announced.
