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Mahmoud Abbas must be great at cards. The PLO chief has no real assets to speak of. He's physically unattractive. He has zero charisma. He's old. And no matter how hard he tries, Abbas can't do much of anything to dampen public support for Hamas or raise public support for himself. By many accounts, if elections are ever held, Hamas would win them in a walk. As for money, beyond the PLO's slush fund, all Abbas has is what outsiders give him. He is completely dependent on the Americans, the Israelis, the Europeans and the Gulf states. Without them, he...

Dan Shapiro criticizes Israel’s decision to push ahead 1,500 units in West Bank and East Jerusalem as response to Palestinian unity government he US ambassador to Israel condemned on Thursday a plan to build 1,500 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, announced as a retaliatory measure to the formation of a Palestinian unity government earlier this week. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign up! “We oppose settlement construction in the West Bank as well as announcements regarding such construction,” Dan Shapiro told Army Radio. “We would...

The US has been secretly holding talks with Hamas for months Buzzfeed reported Thursday, despite its official stance that it would (not?) negotiate with the terrorist organization. “Our administration needed to hear from them that this unity government would move toward democratic elections, and toward a more peaceful resolution with the entire region,” a US official stated to the “social news” site, on condition of anonymity. “It was important to have that line of communication.” US officials have publicly denied the charges, however, leading to confusion over the report’s veracity. …

The new unity government puts the lie to U.S. peace efforts. The new Palestinian unity government of Fatah and Hamas puts the lie to fundamental assumptions on which the U.S. approach to Israeli-Palestinian peace have long rested, most prominently within the Obama administration. Washington has long assumed that a two-state solution is attainable, that “land for peace” is the formula for success, that the key remaining issue is final borders for a new “Palestine,” that the main obstacle is Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is the rare Palestinian leader...

When Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas chose to scuttle peace talks with Israel this spring by deciding to conclude a pact with Hamas rather than the Jewish state, he was taking a calculated risk. In embracing his Islamist rivals, Abbas sought to unify the two leading Palestinian factions not to make peace more possible but to make it impossible. Since Palestinian public opinion—indeed the entire political culture of his people—regards any pact that would recognize the legitimacy of a Jewish state as a betrayal of their national identity, bringing Hamas back into the PA fold illustrated that he would not...

The European Union and United Nations on Tuesday offered public backing for the Palestinian unity government sworn in a day earlier in Ramallah. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, said during a meeting with PM Rami Hamdallah that the UN backs the unity government and hopes it will meet the needs of Palestinians in the West Bank Gaza and East Jerusalem. Hamdallah assured Serry that the government would commit to all previous agreements signed by the PLO. The office of the EU High Representative said in a statement that the government was an “important step in...

According to new reports, the American administration has promised the new Fatah-Hamas unity government, which was sworn in this Monday, that it will convince Israel to allow that new government’s elections to be held in the eastern part of Jerusalem. “A source that knows things,” apparently from within the Palestinian Authority (PA) or Hamas, was quoted in the Jordanian paper Al-Arab Al-Youm, reporting the American promise to work for parliamentary and presidential elections for the new unity government to be held in the Israeli capital. […] Despite the American claims of non-affiliation with Hamas, three of the ministers in the...

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Tuesday the formation of the new Palestinian “unity government” which includes the Hamas terrorist group. In a statement, Ban expressed hope that new opportunities for progress towards a two-State solution with Israel will emerge soon, saying the UN had received assurances that the Hamas-Fatah deal would be implemented on the basis of previous commitments such as the recognition of Israel and non-violence. …

The United States on Tuesday rejected Israel’s expressions of disappointment over its statements that Washington was planning to cooperate with the new Palestinian Authority (PA) unity government. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, in fact, that the new government does not include any members of the Hamas terrorist group. “It is not a government backed by Hamas. There are no members of Hamas in the government,” Harf told reporters. She added that the new unity government is a transitional one that is made up of individuals who are not politically associated with any party. “Hamas is a designated terror...

Lawmakers in the United States on Monday called on the Obama administration to suspend financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of the formation of the new unity government between Hamas and Fatah. The calls came as the State Department stated that the U.S. would work with the new unity government. According to The Hill, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas “argues that the new government is composed of ministers without political affiliation, but this new government appears dependent upon Hamas and Hamas continues to support terrorism in its quest to...

The United States said on Monday it plans to work with and fund the new Palestinian unity government formed after an agreement by the Fatah and Hamas factions, and Israel immediately voiced its disappointment with the U.S. decision. The United States views Hamas as a "terrorist" organization and the U.S. Congress has imposed restrictions on U.S. funding for the Palestinian Authority, which typically runs at $500 million a year, in the event of a unity government. Senior U.S. lawmakers said on Monday Washington should suspend aid to the new unity government until it is sure of the Islamist group's commitment...

The Israeli ambassador to the United States late Monday slammed the Obama administration for its willingness to work with the new Palestinian unity government formed earlier that day. Ambassador Ron Dermer expressed in a series of statements on Twitter that Israel is “deeply disappointed.” Dermer said Hamas, which has united with the Fatah party, is a terrorist organization that has murdered hundreds of Israelis, and launched thousands of rockets at Israeli cities. Hamas remains “committed to our destruction,” Dermer said. “So a Palestinian technocratic government backed by Hamas should be treated accordingly,” Dermer tweeted. “With suits in the front office...

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki tentatively approved of Palestine’s new unity government Monday, saying “Based on what we know now, we intend to work with this government.” [....] Asked if this means that the U.S. will continue to provide aid to the Palestinian government, she replied “It does. But we will continue to evaluate the composition and policies of the new government and calibrate our approach accordingly.” Abbas swore in new government ministers Monday, and promised to support several peace principles, including recognizing Israel. This position is in conflict with the official stance in Jerusalem, which outright rejects the new...