The "Palestinian Authority" (PA) prefers a government headed by Ehud Olmert to one headed by Tzipi Livni, a PA source said Sunday. The source told Ynet that a government with Livni at the helm "would be fragile and weak, and would not be able to advance a meaningful diplomatic move vis-à-vis the Palestinians."
The source said that if contacts with Israel are frozen as a result of the investigation against Olmert, the PA will have to reenter negotiations with Hamas. "If the talks with Israel were the reason for not renewing contacts with Hamas on Palestinian reconciliation, then a diplomatic freeze dictates an opening of channels of communication," the source said. "We will not be able to continue telling Palestinian and Arab public opinion that Hamas needs to fulfill the commitments to the international community and the diplomatic process, if there is no such process," he added.