Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Thursday that U.S. President Barack Obama's major Mideast policy speech was disappointing, telling Al Jazeera television that the U.S. president did not propose anything new.
"What Obama needs to do is not to add slogans but to take concrete steps to protect the rights of the Palestinian people and the Arab nation," Abu Zuhri said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed on Thursday U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts to renew talks with Israel that collapsed last year, a senior Palestinian official said, and will convene "emergency" talks with Palestinian and Arab officials to consider further steps.
In his speech, Obama urged Israelis and Palestinians to renew peace talks, but stressed that the Palestinians' efforts to delegitimize Israel will fail, and rejected the Palestinian initiative to attain recognition in the United Nations.
"President Abbas expresses his appreciation of the continuous efforts exerted by President Obama with the objective of resuming the permanent status talks in the hope of reaching a final status agreement," said the official, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
The U.S. president also stressed that the recent Fatah-Hamas reconciliation raises profound and legitimate questions for Israel.
"Palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if Hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. And Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist."