Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday bemoaned the lack of progress in peace talks with Israel and insisted that ties with Hamas were at a standstill. "We can not talk of progress in the peace process," he told reporters before leaving the United Arab Emirates for Bahrain.
According to AFP, Abbas said a renewal of dialogue between his Palestinian Authority and Hamas depended on a reversal of the Islamists' seizure of the Gaza Strip. "That's when we will be ready to go to elections," he said. "So far we have not noted any positive attitude on the part of Hamas."
Abbas said last month's destruction of the Gaza Strip-Egypt border by Hamas was "deplorable" and should not be repeated. "The Rafah border post will stay shut. It will reopen on the basis of the 2005 accord and full European participation," he said.
