A stiff period for Palestinian government

An Iranian expert in Palestinian affairs says meeting a six-month deadline for the staging of general election in Palestine would be a stiff task for the Palestinian Consensus Government.

Hassan Hanizadeh told Qudsna that the formation of the Palestinian government was a favorable move in "resolving the differences between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority."

The expert argued that the two sides would produce a close cooperation as members of the government have been chosen based on consensus.

"This would provide a favorable ground for broad cooperation among all Palestinian groups," Hanizadeh said.

Asked about the likely challenges ahead of the consensus government, the expert said the past history of mistrust between the two sides would likely lead to certain problems.

The expert said the Fatah and Hamas may suffer smear campaign from one another in the run-up to the parliamentary election. "Certain figures in the Fatah party seek to bar Hamas from the political trend or sideline it," the expert said, adding that the next six months would provide a litmus test for the consensus government.

"Hamas taking the account of the regional situation appears to be cooperation more seriously," he said.