'Hamas hindering formation of Palestinian unity government'

The Hamas movement has put "impossible" conditions ahead of the formation of a new Palestinian unity government, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday.

"Hamas says it accepts the formation of a government, but on the other hand it has put conditions to topple the idea," Xinhua quoted Amin Maqbool, secretary general of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party's revolutionary council, as saying.

Asked about the dispute on the political platform of the new government, Maqbool said "deciding on the political platform of the unity government is the job of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)."

"Any new Palestinian government has to automatically abide by the political platform of the PLO," he said, pointing out that the political platform of the government has nothing to do with the peace talks with Israel.

The PLO is based on recognising Israel and signed peace accords and agreements and condemning violence, which are international requirements for Hamas to join any government.

Hamas has repeatedly announced that it would never recognise Israel or the signed peace agreements and would never condemn violence. Hamas also said that formation of a new government was not the authorisation of the PLO.

Hamas insisted that a transitional leading Palestinian body, which was formed after a reconciliation agreement was signed in Cairo in 2011, was the only body authorised to form a unity government.