Hamas presents its pick for Palestinian PM
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-21 08:44

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas presented a pragmatic former university administrator as its choice for Palestinian prime minister Monday and the Islamic militant group reached out to Fatah and other factions to join a broad-based Cabinet that might stand a chance of gaining international approval.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, expecting to be named the next Palestinian prime minister, center, waves as he arrives for the talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, in Gaza City, Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began a meeting Monday with Ismail Haniyeh whose group won an overwhelming majority in Jan. 25 parliamentary elections, and will have five weeks to form a Cabinet. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Officials said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would give Ismail Haniyeh his formal letter of appointment on Tuesday, a step toward installing the first government to be headed by Hamas, which swept parliamentary elections last month.

Haniyeh, 43, told reporters after meeting with Abbas that he would try to form a joint government with Fatah, the traditional Palestinian ruling party that Hamas trounced in the election, "that can shoulder its responsibilities in the political area and internal issues." So far, Fatah has refused to join.

He also criticized Israel's decision over the weekend to freeze the transfer of tax funds to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas took control of the parliament.

"The Israelis are trying to starve innocent people by taking money from our taxes, and we are going to fight this by all legal means," he said. "This collective punishment will not break the determination of the Palestinian people."

Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel and is responsible for dozens of suicide bombings, is trying to persuade other Palestinian factions to join a coalition, hoping to persuade the world that the new Cabinet represents all the Palestinians and should not be the target of a boycott.

Another Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, met with other militant factions Monday — Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — to try to gain their support.