Joshua Davidovich is The Times of Israel's Deputy Editor
Mahmoud Abbas speaking in Ramallah in 2011. (photo credit: Issam Rimawi/Flash90)
A Palestinian Authority government with Hamas as a major member can make peace with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday.
Abbas made the remark during a meeting with American Middle East envoy David Hale, according to Ynet news.
The statement comes two days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Likud Party Knesset faction that Abbas, who heads Fatah, would have to choose between making peace with Israel and peace with Palestinian rival Hamas.
Mahmoud Abbas speaking in Ramallah in 2011. (photo credit: Issam Rimawi/Flash90)
On Monday Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Qatar, paving the way for new elections. Hamas lawmakers lambasted the deal Wednesday, saying the fact that Abbas will be both president and prime minister of the interim government is illegal.
Abbas also told Hale that the peace process is a strategic choice, but unity with Hamas is a national imperative, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
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