Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas’ exiled chief failed to resolve an increasingly bitter dispute and form a unity government, dashing hopes for a quick end to the political crisis. But Abbas and Hamas top leader Khaled Mashaal said on Sunday the two sides “achieved major progress” during their meeting—the first since July 2005—and pledged to continue talks on forming a coalition government within the next two weeks, according to a joint statement. “There are still points of disagreement, but we will try to resolve them through a national dialogue until we form a national unity government,” Mashaal said during a press conference with Abbas in the Syrian capital. The two sides stressed that recent Palestinian infighting, which has killed at least 62 people, was unacceptable and pledged to try to avoid political friction that has been sparking the violence. “Palestinian bloodshed was considered totally prohibited, and we must exert all efforts to avoid frictions and internal clashes,” Abbas said. Both sides also reiterated their rejection of an Israeli proposal for a transitional Palestinian state with temporary borders. There had been hopes that the Abbas-Mashaal meeting would make headway in forming the unity government and end months of deadly violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Both sides said differences remain unsettled but did not provide details. The thorniest issues have been control of the two factions’ security forces and Hamas’ refusal to recognise Israel or commit to previous accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. A Fatah official in the Gaza Strip was optimistic about the meeting, saying that Abbas and Mashaal agreed to let an independent run the Interior Ministry, though they did not agree on who specifically should lead the powerful security wing. “I think some things were accomplished. Some issues were resolved and others remain problematic. That would need continuation of dialogue here in Gaza and mediation in Damascus,” said Abdel Hakim Awad, Fatah’s spokesman in Gaza. He also said disputes remain over how the official document laying out the new government would be worded. -ZEINA KARAM
