Arab League Hails Palestinian Reconciliation Deal

The Arab League said Thursday that it backs Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the face of Israeli pressures following the signing of a reconciliation deal with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.



An Arab League statement "ed Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi as telling Abbas in a phone conversation that the pan-Arab body welcomes the reconciliation agreement between his Fatah movement, which rules the occupied West Bank, and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.



"This achievement [the agreement] will boost the Palestinian unity in the face of the serious challenges that face the Palestinian cause at this critical juncture," the statement "ed al-Arabi as telling Abbas in the conversation.



On Wednesday, Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement that aims to end years of division between the two factions. The deal, welcomed by most Arab states, calls for the formation of a national unity government to pave the way for presidential and parliamentary polls.



Israel's security cabinet on Thursday unanimously decided to suspend peace talks with the Palestinians in response to the deal.



"The government decided that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel's destruction," Ofir Gendleman, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on Twitter.



"Israel will respond to unilateral Palestinian action with a series of measures," he added without elaborating.



By Abul Hassan Ali



englishnews@aa.com.tr - Kahire