BICOM

A high profile meeting planned for Tuesday between the leaders of Fatah and Hamas was cancelled yesterday. The factions, led by Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, were expected to announce the plans for a new interim unity government and to select a new prime minister. The meeting, which was scheduled to take place in Cairo, was postponed indefinitely after the two sides disagreed on several issues. One such issue is the immense differences between the sides regarding the identity of the new PM, and the rejection of Current Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad by Hamas.

In May, the two factions reached an agreement with the help of Egyptian mediation to form a interim unity government. The agreement called for a government made up of independent officials that would prepare the West Bank and the Gaza strip for new presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within a year. From the Palestinian perspective, the issue of a unity is crucial for their goal of receiving UN recognition for a Palestinian state, which it plans to bring to a General Assembly vote in September.