Meshaal calls for Palestinian unity in face of Netanyahu’s gov’t

The head of Hamas' diaspora office, Khaled Meshaal, has called on Palestinians to close ranks in the face of the new Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The challenge posed by the (Israeli) occupier with its fascist government makes it obligatory for us to restore the unity of the Palestinian people," Meshaal said in a speech in the Lebanese city of Sidon on Sunday.

Meshaal said the city of Jerusalem represents the identity of the Palestinians.

"If the enemy has its agenda, we have our response and our resistance," the Hamas leader added.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as capital of a future Palestinian state.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu announced that he had completed the formation of a new government with his allies in the right-wing camp.

Palestinians warn that Netanyahu's incoming government will be one of the most radical in recent Israeli history.