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Hamas threatens vote of no confidence in Abbas

Hamas called and then postponed a Palestinian Legislative Council session to push for a vote of no confidence in the current consensus government.
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya (C) speaks to the media upon his return to Gaza City from truce talks in Cairo August 14, 2014. A renewed truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding on Thursday despite a shaky start, after both sides agreed to give Egyptian-brokered talks more time to try to end the Gaza war. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR42EMW
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It has become clear that the worsening situation in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war this summer has largely resulted from the failure of the reconstruction process, the ongoing closure of the crossings and the failure to settle the issue of the payment of employee salaries. This prompted Hamas’ parliamentary bloc to announce on Nov. 16 the holding of a Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) session Nov. 19-20 to discuss the future of the consensus government. However, on Nov. 18, the deputy head of the PLC, Ahmed Bahar, announced in a news release that the session would be postponed to an unknown date, in response to good offices and to the Jerusalem events.

A senior Hamas leader told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The parliamentary Hamas bloc was serious about holding the session and potentially declaring the illegitimacy of the government, and thus take us into another predicament. This led Palestinian and Arab parties to contact us in a bid to heal the rift.”

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