Gaza's Hamas leader and deposed Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Monday he may be prepared to turn over security in the area to the rival Fatah faction. His comments followed pleas by Fatah leader and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for Hamas to relinquish its authority in Gaza.
"We have been seriously considering all Palestinian, Arab and even European initiatives to resume nationalist dialogue, yet the Ramallah-based leadership has always refused all these initiatives," Haniyeh declared on Hamas television.