Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei’ announced on Tuesday that his government will act as an emergency government until the completion of the Gaza withdrawal next August, and invited all factions to establish a national unity government, according to the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam.
“The ministers in charge [of matters concerning] the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip will, from now on, stay two to three days a week in the Gaza Strip and one day a week in Jenin,” Qurei’ told reporters. These measures were taken to ensure “a quiet and organized withdrawal,” he added.
Qurei’ called on all Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to participate in supervising and preparing towards the withdrawal, stating the Palestinian Authority sees no reason not to establish “a national unity government… if the [Palestinian factions] wish so.”
Concerning the Tahdia (calm) agreement with the Palestinian terror movements last February, Qurei’ stressed its importance, saying, “We need it [to continue] until the withdrawal plan is successfully and quietly completed, and all the forces and factions are aware of its importance.”
During the cabinet session yesterday, several more decisions were made concerning the pullout period. One of those decisions was that no one is entitled to buy properties or lands in the evacuated Israeli territories.