Hamas picks 'pragmatist' as PM
2006-02-16 22:02
Ramallah - Hamas on Thursday chose Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader widely viewed by
Palestinians as a pragmatist, to be prime minister, as Israel's
defence ministry proposed punitive measures to weaken the group.
Haniyeh, 43, headed Hamas's list of candidates in the
January 25 parliamentary election in which the movement, dedicated to
Israel's destruction and riding a wave of popularity over its
pledge to fight corruption, scored a landslide victory.
"We have decided to nominate brother Ismail Haniyeh as the
prime minister," a senior Hamas official told Reuters after its
elected legislators met in the West Bank city of Ramallah and
consulted with colleagues in the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh had been widely expected to get Hamas's nod.
The
movement planned to present the nomination to Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, after a Hamas-dominated
parliament convenes for the first time since the election.
Palestinian officials said Abbas would ask Hamas to form a
government that will respect peace deals with Israel and put a
stop to violence.
Israel has said the inaugural session would mark Hamas's
ascension to power within the Palestinian Authority, currently
led by Abbas's Fatah faction.
Revenue transfers
Israeli defence minister Shaul Mofaz and advisers proposed a
clampdown that included barring all Palestinians from working in
Israel and from travelling across Israel between Gaza and the
West Bank once the Palestinian parliament is sworn in, officials
said.
Mofaz's ministry also recommended that Israel squeeze the
Palestinian Authority financially by immediately stopping all
tax revenue transfers and by exerting pressure on international
donors to freeze all but humanitarian assistance.
A US state department official cautioned Israel to take
into account "the consequences of any move, especially with an
eye to avoiding increasing any hardship for Palestinians".
"We will see what government gets formed and what its
policies are before we take decisions on our own policies, which
are under review," the official said.
Israeli interim prime minister Ehud Olmert planned to hold
his own consultations on Friday to consider punitive steps which
would take effect next week if approved.
Many Palestinians see Haniyeh as someone rival factions and
ultimately Israel could do business with.