P.A. Unity Gov't. Off Again

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Hamas, the Palestinian faction ruling the Gaza Strip, says the six-month unity agreement with the Ramallah-based Fatah faction has expired. The unity government, sworn in last June, was meant to end seven years of strife between the two rival factions.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the six-month mandate of the national consensus government had ended, the Palestinian Authority's semi-official Ma'an News Agency (ITALICS) reported. Abu Zuhri said only "national dialogue and consensus" would determine the future of any coalition.

Senior Fatah official Faisal Abu Shahla rejected the announcement, saying there's no six-month limitation on the agreement.

"If the Hamas movement has retracted the reconciliation agreement and the termination of rivalry, that is a different case," Abu Shahla said. The agreement does not call to dissolve the government if all its tasks, including election, are completed in six months.

Abu Shahla also said the recent bombing several Fatah members' homes and vehicles has not been discussed, nor has Hamas explained why it canceled a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the death of former PLO chairman Yasser Arafat.

According to Ma'an, Hamas would not provide security forces for the event because the P.A. has not paid the salaries of Gaza security forces since the unity deal was signed.

Reconciliation between the two rival factions has been on and off since Hamas defeated P.A. security forces in June 2007 and took control of Gaza.

P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas term as president expired on January 9, 2009, though he still refers to himself as president.