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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Khaled Mashaal re-elected Hamas political leader |
| 2009-05-04 |
| Hamas has re-elected Khaled Mashaal as its top political leader for another four-year term, the Palestinian militant group announced Sunday, signalling strong support for the man who has adopted a hard-line policy toward Israel and Hamas' Palestinian rival, the moderate Fatah faction. The win was the fourth time Mashaal has been elected to the post, which he has held since 1996, and comes as Hamas is locked in reconciliation talks with its rival, Fatah. The Egypt-sponsored talks, which resumed in Cairo last week, touched on elections in Palestinian territories and the formation of a national unity government and its political program. The talks broke down last month mainly over how much Hamas would abide by past Palestinian peace accords with Israel. The international community says it will only deal with a Palestinian government that recognizes Israel, a concession Mashaal has vowed Hamas will never make. The two Palestinian factions have been at odds since the bloody power struggle in 2007 when Hamas seized the Gaza Strip, splitting Palestinian territories in two and leaving Fatah in control of the West Bank. Egypt is also mediating separate talks between Israel and Hamas over a prisoner swap. Israel wants the return of Sgt Gilad Schalit, captured by Hamas-allied militants in a cross-border raid in 2006. Hamas demands in return that 1,200 Palestinian prisoners be freed from Israeli jails. Those negotiations also broke down in March. Israel's new government, led by hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is unlikely to make concessions to Hamas. |
| Posted by:Fred |