Newspaper: Haniyya Aide Quits Over Lack of Contact With Fatah

The London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Friday that Ghazi Hamad, long-time aide to Hamas leader and former Palestinian prime minister Is’mail Haniyya, has resigned in protest of Hamas’s refusal to reconcile with Fatah. According to the newspaper, Hamad disagreed with the violent way in which Hamas routed Fatah when it took over the Gaza Strip and believes both sides should be working toward a reconciliation. Hamad is a familiar face to world media, having served as Haniyya’s primary spokesman since Haniyya came to prominence following the January 2006 election.