CAIRO (Reuters) – the Palestinian President who heads Fatah and the leader of the Islamic group Hamas was in Cairo on Wednesday to endorse a deal to end four years of Division, but last-minute hitch cast doubt on the durability of the agreement.
The Egyptian-brokered deal, denounced by Israel, calls for forming an interim Government to run the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip and prepare for a general election within a year.
The Palestinians see this vote as crucial for their drive to establish an independent State in the areas captured by Israel in the 1967 war.
But the ceremony was delayed by a disagreement over the protocol shortly before it began over whether Hamas leader Khaled Ray should sit on the podium with President Mahmoud Abbas or down among other Palestinian delegates in the Hall.
"There is a dispute in the Protocol of seating of the leaders," said a Palestinian source, who declined to be named.
"The difference is on how Ray would sit, whether he should be on the scene or among the leaders of the factions."
Officials from all the Palestinian factions had previously signed it to Ray and Abbas were expected to join the ceremony. It was not immediately clear why they would not put their own signatures.
"The signing is done, all signed. Today is the coronation of this result, ' said senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath, speaking shortly before the ceremony.
ISRAEL ANGRY, WASHINGTON COOL
A spokesman for Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said the deal was signed on behalf of Fatah of Azzam al-Ahmad and of Hamas by Mousa Abu Marzouk. Palestinian officials said on Wednesday the ceremony was a "feast".
Isrælske prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the deal and stopped transfers Palestinian tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority, said Fatah must choose between Israel and the Islamic Group, which he says is an enemy of peace.
United States has reacted coolly reconciliation agreement. State Department spokesman said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke Monday with Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime minister Salam Fayyad on trade.
Mark Toner told a news briefing in Washington, as the United States would look at the formation of a new Palestinian Government before step on future assistance.
"If a new Palestinian Government is announced, we will assess, based on its composition," Toner said. "Hamas needs to comply with the principles of the Quartet to play a role in the political process".
Egypt has set up a Committee to monitor the implementation of the agreement, which calls for the creation of an intermediate unit Government for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip instead of the administrations led by Fatah and Hamas, which currently running each area.
(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Ali Sawaftah in Ramallah; Writing by Sami Aboudi and Edmund Blair; Editing of Crispian Balmer)
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