Haniyeh, Mashaal Urge Respect for Unity Deal

The reconciliation between the two factions is the most important political event in Palestinian history, Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech on Thursday.

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' political chief and Mahmoud Abbas, the acting chief of the Palestinian Authority -- which is dominated by Fatah -- on Wednesday, endorsed an understanding deal the representatives of the two sides had reached late last month in Cairo.

Haniyeh said Palestinians will not abandon their cause until their aspirations are met.

The signing of the accord will pave the way for elections and the formation of a unity government, he said, adding that the deal was agreed on despite Western and "Israeli" plans to derail it.

"Let the enemy declare what they want to declare, we have no relationship with the occupier. The relationship we have with them is one of struggle and not one of mutual satisfaction," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"We want to avoid Gaza entering a new war through agreeing on how to manage this resistance. We do not fear the occupation nor the threats of the occupation," he said.

Haniyeh's comment was the first concrete sign of progress for the unity deal which seeks to resolve a four-year split in the Palestinian national movement that had hindered the quest to achieve statehood in land captured by Israel in a 1967 war.