London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Palestinian Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh and representatives of Hamas have stated that the formation of a national unity government depends on the release of all minters and parliamentary members who were detained after an Israeli solder Gilad Shalit was abducted in a raid on a Gaza border post on the 25 of June.

Palestinian Government Spokesman Dr Ghazi Hamad told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The setting up of a national unity government depends on the release of all the ministers and parliament members who are detained in the occupation prisons, as well as the lifting of the blockade imposed on the Palestinian people.” He also pointed out that according to the “national reconciliation” document, consultations about the setting up of a national unity government should go hand-in-hand with the reactivation and reform of the PLO. He denied, however, any substance in the “claims on and the rumors about the distribution of ministerial portfolios.”

Hamad also states that the two meetings between Palestinian President Abu-Mazen and Palestinian Premier Ismail Haniyeh dealt solely with the principle of setting up a national unity government.

For his part, Head of “Fatah” Parliamentarian Bloc Azzam al-Ahmad told Asharq Al-Awsat “There was nothing new in the talks about a unity government. How to start the consultations was the only thing that was talked about.”