GAZA
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas can govern the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian unity government allows it to do so, a senior Hamas official said Saturday.
“There is clear laziness," Musa Abu Marzuq, deputy leader of the Hamas political bureau, said at a panel discussion. "Why doesn't the unity government's PM visit Gaza and fulfill his responsibilities?"
Rival Palestinian factions Hamas, which controls Gaza since 2007, and Fatah, signed a reconciliation deal in April that led to the formation of a national unity government.
"There are those who say that Hamas is disruptive, which is not true," Abu Marzuq added. "The unity government does not want to undertake any responsibility in Gaza.”
The lack of action has hampered the disbursement of public-sector salaries in the coastal enclave, which has been blockaded by Israel for more than seven years.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Khaled Meshal, Hamas political bureau chief, met at the PM's hometown province of Konya Saturday to discuss the latest developments in Palestine, Jerusalem and Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected to pay a visit to Turkey in the coming days, the Turkish Prime Ministry said.
www.aa.com.tr/en
