Arafat asks Hamas to join government

Associated Press

JERUSALEM – Yasser Arafat has offered Cabinet posts to Hamas and other militant groups involved in suicide attacks against Israelis as part of a government reshuffle he plans to announce in coming days, Palestinians said Sunday.

While three other radical groups have turned down the Palestinian leader’s offer, saying they don’t want to belong to a government that’s willing to negotiate with Israel, Hamas is still weighing the proposal, the group said.

It would mark the first time in his eight years as chairman of the Palestinian Authority that Arafat formally brought Hamas into the government – a move likely to be strongly opposed by Israel and the United States, which both regard Hamas as a terrorist group.

In Israel, a Hamas-Arafat alliance would be interpreted as an indication that the Palestinians are determined to continue the violent conflict.

From Arafat’s perspective, having radical groups inside the government could make them easier to control. It was not clear whether Arafat was making compliance with his call for an end to suicide attacks a condition of Hamas entering the government.

Of the more than 60 suicide attacks by Palestinians in the current Mideast conflict, Hamas’ military wing has carried out more than any other group, including the deadliest attacks. The group has rejected Arafat’s call to halt them.

Hamas gains influence among Palestinians not only from its attacks on Israelis, but also from its network of schools, clinics and welfare offices. The group has become the main welfare provider at a time when more than half the 3 million Palestinians live in poverty.

The Islamic Jihad and two secular leftist groups – the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine – have declared their refusal to be in the government following offers by Arafat.