Abbas weighs options to end Palestinian stalemate
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he was considering options open to him after the failure of talks with the governing Hamas faction over creating a unity government. Coalition talks between Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah group broke down weeks ago partly over Hamas’s refusal to meet Western demands that a unity government renounce violence and recognise Israel and past peace agreements. Palestinians hope foreign powers, which include the United States and the European Union, will renew funding to the Palestinian Authority if a unity government is formed. Full Story