Hamas-Fatah truce key to securing Palestine peace

Sharm Al Shaikh: Palestine cannot settle with Israel while there is still a split between Hamas and Fatah, said Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority.

The split has caused a loss of confidence in Fatah leadership, and also weakened the Palestinians both as a people but also in practical terms on the ground.

He described Hamas as running a militia within a state. "We cannot ignore militias and seek statehood at the same time," he told a BBC debate at the World Economic Forum.

However, he was clear that Hamas' split from Fatah followed a period when the Palestinian Authority had not got sole control of security in the colonies. He blamed proliferation of Palestinian security forces, as well as the continued Israel occupation, for the failure.

"Security pluralism caused us to split. The Palestinian Authority is not viewed as the authority in the territories, and it does not have sole purview of arms and weapons," he said.

However, he sought reconciliation with Hamas. "We need to settle with Hamas, and we will continue to make clear how to reunite."

Annapolis

Talking about the present peace initiative, the Palestinian prime minister was determined that the Palestinians could not just take any deal in order to achieve progress from the miserable situation they are in at the moment.

"We are not looking at any settlement that is not lasting and fair. We will not use ending the occupation as an excuse to get a deal," he said.

A free Palestine and an open economy will share many common characteristics, said Tony Blair, Quartet Envoy and former UK prime minister, as he enlarged on Fayyad's point that Palestine needs a lasting peace deal in order to start to reach its economic potential.

"The solution for Israel and Palestine requires both economic development and political peace to go together. Both are about human capital, open economies, and people's potential.

"Society and the economy are all about the same people, and as there should be economic freedom and transparency, people should be treated equally and openly regardless of race or religion," said Blair.