Palestinian cabinet resigns, Hamas comment, Olmert
(26 Jan 2006) AP Television Ramallah, West Bank 1. Palestinian flag outside Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's office 2. Qureia coming out of his office 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister: "I think that if the majority has been approved I think Hamas should form a new government and it's true - the president should ask Hamas to form a new government. For me personally, I sent my resignation to enable them to chose a new prime minister." 4. Qureia leaving Gaza City, Gaza Strip 5. Set up shot of Mushir Al Masri 6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mushir Al Masri, Hamas politician: "Negotiation with Israel is not on our agenda. We tried before to negotiate with Israel but failed to reach the minimum for the Palestinians despite the PLO giving in to lots of principles while the Zionist enemy turned its back on the Palestinians. Hamas is not prepared to fail." 7. Mushir Al Masri greeting supporters 8. Hamas members distributing sweets POOL RTV Jerusalem 9. Wide shot of hall of names in Holocaust Museum "Yad Vashem" in Jerusalem 10. Israel cabinet ministers entering the hall 11. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert looking at exhibition 12. Medium shot of ministers at hall 13. Wide shot of Israel cabinet ministers convened at the museum 14. Medium shot of Olmert 15. End shot of ministers sitting at meeting AP TELEVISION Tel Aviv 16. Israeli member of Knesset Colette Avital walking in Knesset corridor 17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colette Avital, member of Knesset: "Well it is certainly a setback, it is a sea change no doubt in the Palestinian society and in the Palestinian political system. We got accustomed to dealing with the Palestinian National Authority and with the Fatah. It is very difficult to say what will come next, but I assume this is a real set back for the peace process which started in Oslo, which was based on mutual recognition. As you know there is no mutual recognition between us and the Hamas. Should Hamas decide to become a government based organisation, moderate its ways, change some of its policies, recognise the state of Israel then everything is open. But should it refuse to do so, then we are back to where we were before 1993 - meaning a problem of non recognition. And I think that one of the aspects that has to be looked into is whether the Oslo Agreements which were signed with the PLO, which were signed with the Fatah are still valid." 18. End shot, Avital writing STORYLINE: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will ask Hamas to form a new Cabinet, and the Palestinian leader's Fatah Party will be in the opposition, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced after a meeting with Abbas. With the political landscape in the region suddenly changing beyond recognition, the Palestinian Cabinet resigned on Thursday, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's office said. These seismic moves set the stage for the Islamic group Hamas, which swept the polls in Wednesday's parliamentary elections, to lead a new Palestinian government. "If it's true, the president should ask Hamas to form a new government, for me personally, I sent my resignation," Qureia said. Hamas won a large majority of the 66 seats in electoral districts in the Palestinian parliament vote, election officials said. Official results were expected later on Thursday. A senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri, who won elections in his home district in the northern Gaza Strip, said recognising Israel and negotiations with the Jewish state were, "not on our agenda". Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
