Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah prepared for the historic signing of a truce deal Wednesday despite Israel’s fervent objections. President Mahmoud Abbas said at the official ceremony that Palestinians had "turned forever the black page of division. Hamas is part of the Palestinian people."
"Israel must choose between settlements and peace," Abbas added. Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said, "We want an independent Palestinian state with sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza." With the signing of the agreement, he added, "Hamas’s only conflict is with Israel."
Meanwhile Yisrael Beiteinu announced it would demand the government cut all ties with the new Palestinian unity government. "You cannot expect the State of Israel to transfer money to Hamas and in effect fund operations against its own citizens," a statement from the party says.
"Those who declare bin Laden a freedom fighter and a holy Muslim, as Haniyeh has done, and those who do not allow the Red Cross access to kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, cannot be partners for negotiations, neither directly nor indirectly."
A draft of the deal was signed Tuesday in Cairo. Wednesday’s ceremony was delayed nearly two hours, apparently due to a last-minute argument over Hamas and Fatah leaders’ seating arrangements. Sources say Abbas refused to allow Mashaal to sit next to him on stage.
Participating in the ceremony are Israeli Arab MKs Ahmed Tibi, Mohammed Barakeh, Wasil Taha, and Taleb El-Sana.
MK El-Sana said at the ceremony, "We are happy to be a part of this event. It is a historic day for the Palestinian people and leadership, and a historic day for peace-lovers. This agreement is an important step on the path to ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state."
El-Sana added, "The truce is an internal Palestinian issue that will promote peace and even help promote the release of Gilad Shalit. The Netanyahu government must understand that everything has changed. This government is living in the past and missing out on this historic change."
MK Barakeh said he realizes the Arab MKs’ participation in the ceremony will spark outrage among Israel’s rightists, but that they feel it is their duty.
"The Israeli government fears this agreement because it was enjoying the division between Gaza and the (Palestinian) territories. But a truce should not be feared. The Israeli government should welcome the change and learn to live with the people beside it," he said.
MK Tibi said he was "proud to be here at the signing of a truce agreement whose target is to put an end to a dark chapter in Palestinian national history".
"Israel aggrandizes the value of unity, but when it comes to the Palestinians they jump as if snake-bitten. This is a mixture of typical Israeli hypocrisy and vanity," he said. "Palestinian unity will bring on the end of the occupation and the founding of a Palestinian state, with or without Israel."
However the MKs diverged from Hamas’s condemnation of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "I believe this statement was unfortunate," Barakeh said. "Palestinian issues should not be mixed up with the crimes bin Laden committed."