(RTTNews) - Monday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas slammed the Arab League (AL) for not boycotting his rival faction, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, after it refused to endorse an Egyptian-drafted reconciliation pact, which was supposed to be signed by all Palestinian factions October 24.

Egypt, which sponsors the inter-Palestinian dialogue, announced late October that signing on reconciliation was postponed "until a further notice" after Hamas said it will not sign on the pact before amending it.

Abbas, who announced last Thursday that he would not run in the Palestinian Presidential elections, scheduled for November 24, next year, told a group of Palestinian businessmen at his Ramallah headquarters that the Arab League should boycott Hamas movement--which rules the Gaza Strip--"because it is the one which obstructs reaching an inter-reconciliation agreement."

He recalled a previous decision made by the Arab League a year ago which said it would boycott the party which blocks or obstructs the inter-dialogue and the reconciliation.
Accusing the Hamas of blocking the reconciliation, he asked so where is the boycott (of the Hamas by the Arab League)?" Asking the Arab League to spell out its position now that Hamas has refused to sign on the reconciliation pact, he said: "we had demanded the Arab League follow-up committee to convene on November 12 to say its final word."

Though Abbas' Fatah party accepted the Egyptian pact despite some reservations, the Hamas movement said that it will not sign the pact until the text of the pact is amended.

Abbas said Egypt is not biased, and it doesn't stand to the side of Fatah or the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

by RTT Staff Writer

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