Abbas leads push for coalition government

? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will dissolve the Hamas-led government within two weeks if the Islamic militant group does not agree to form a governing coalition with his Fatah Party, Palestinian officials said Friday.

Abbas told the European Union’s top diplomat that he would replace the Cabinet with an apolitical panel of professionals, the officials said.

The moderate Palestinian president has raised the idea before but promised not to force it on a reluctant Hamas. His new stand suggested a willingness to take a stronger line against Hamas in a bid to ease crippling Western sanctions designed to force the Islamic group to moderate its militantly anti-Israel ideology.

The message was relayed to visiting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana by the Palestinian officials, who agreed to discuss the confidential information on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said Hamas was unaware of Abbas’ two-week deadline.

The EU, U.S. and other donors cut off millions of dollars of aid to the Palestinian Authority after the Hamas-led government took office in March. Despite growing hardship in the Palestinian areas, Hamas has rejected international calls to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist.