Great Satan US says ‘disappointed’ by unity deal between Hamas and Fatah

“The timing was troubling, and we were certainly disappointed in the announcement,” US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in Washington on Wednesday.

“This could seriously complicate our efforts — not just our efforts, but the efforts between the parties more importantly to extend the negotiations,” she added.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has been leading Washington’s efforts to resume the stalled negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with the final aim of brokering a deal. However, the talks have remained deadlocked since they were resumed last summer under the intense US pressure.

On Wednesday, Hamas and Fatah reached a momentous reconciliation deal, and the Palestinian factions announced that they will make efforts to form a unity government in the coming weeks.

In response, Israel said it would not attend a negotiation session with the Palestinian Authority scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas should choose between reaching peace with Israel or making peace with Hamas.

“You can have one but not the other. I hope he chooses peace (with Israel); so far he hasn’t done so,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Abbas said the reconciliation deal does not contradict the negotiations he is pursuing with Israel, adding that an independent Palestinian state remains his goal.

Hamas and Fatah have been in dispute since Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections.

The groups have reached two reconciliation agreements in Egypt and Qatar in 2011 and 2012, but both deals were not implemented due to some differences.