Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Monday accused Washington of undermining Palestinian unity efforts and said there is no chance for peace in the Middle East under Israel's current government.
Hamas wants a reconciliation deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' rival Fatah movement "as fast as possible", Meshaal told a news conference after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. "Unfortunately, there are a whole series of hurdles to a swift reconciliation, first of all external influence and concerted pressure from the United States," he said, according to Reuters. Meshaal said portions of an Egyptian-drafted reconciliation deal had been changed without consultation with Hamas and that his movement would not sign it unless they were restored.
Meshaal also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what Hamas has called a collapse of indirect talks to exchange captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. "The reason is the game Netanyahu is playing," Meshaal conveyed.
Meshaal stated: "I don't see any prospects on the Palestinian, the Syrian or any other track of the Middle East process because the Israeli leadership is a leadership of war, aggression and occupation." He accused Washington of retracting demands on Israel and charged Europe had been unable to make Israel abide by commitments.
