Egypt gives Hamas 48 hours to decide on pact

Egypt has given the Islamist Movement Hamas on Monday a time limit of 48 hours to give its final saying on the Egyptian proposal of a Palestinian reconciliation deal, which was scheduled to be signed on Oct. 25.

Hamas has asked Egypt to postpone the signing of the reconciliation deal following Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to agree to a six-month deferral of a vote on a U.N. report alleging war crimes were committed during the Israeli massive war in Gaza.

Abbas defends, Meshaal slams

Abbas earlier defended his decision and said the Palestinian delegation at the Geneva-based council backed the Oct. 2 postponement of a vote on the so-called Goldstone report which was highly critical of Israel in order to gather maximum support for the measure.

"Since we felt that we would not be able to gather enough support, we asked for the postponement of the draft resolution until the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council" in March, he said.

In a televised address, the embattled president accused the Islamist movement Hamas of leading the storm of criticism at the decision only as a means to postpone a long-delayed Palestinian reconciliation.

Exiled Hamas Political Chief Khaled Meshaal slammed the Palestinian leadership's decision as a "scandal" and said "the timing is not right" for a reconciliation deal between his movement and Abbas's Fatah party.

Since we felt that we would not be able to gather enough support, we asked for the postponement of the draft resolution until the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council

Palestinian president

Abbas said following the outrage over the deferral, which sparked criticism from Palestinian civil society groups and across the Arab world, he was directing Palestinian representatives at the U.N. to work toward bringing the Goldstone report for an early vote at the Human Rights Council.

He said the "storm of criticism" at the decision by Hamas was aimed at postponing a long-delayed Palestinian reconciliation deal that Egypt had announced for Oct. 25-26 in Cairo.

But Meshaal, in a speech in Damascus shortly after Abbas's address, said the atmosphere was not right for a deal between the rival factions.

"The Goldstone report was the final straw ... We cannot accept any more mistakes," Meshaal said. "This is not a leadership which deserves our trust."

The Goldstone report was the final straw ... We cannot accept any more mistakes. This is not a leadership which deserves our trust.

Hamas chief

No trial for Israelis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said on Monday that Israel would not allow its citizens to be tried for alleged war crimes over its deadly assault on Gaza, citing the Goldstone report.

"Our first mission is to head off this attack," Netanyahu told the opening of the winter session of parliament, the Knesset.

"This warped document... written by this warped committee undermines Israel's right to self defense. This report encourages terror and endangers the peace," he said, repeating comments he made at the annual U.N. General Assembly.

"I want to make it clear -- Israel will not take any chances for peace if it can't defend itself," he said.

Netanyahu also said that Israel will not allow a situation in which its political leadership during the war and military officials would face trial over the conflict that killed 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

"We will not agree to a situation where (ex-premier) Ehud Olmert, (defense minister) Ehud Barak and (ex-foreign minister and now opposition leader) Tzipi Livni, who sent our soldiers to defend our cities and citizens, will sit on the defendants' bench in The Hague," he said of the International Criminal Court.

"We will not agree to a situation where IDF commanders and soldiers are branded war criminals after they defended the citizens of Israel with bravery and honor from a cruel enemy," Netanyahu said.

We will not agree to a situation where IDF commanders and soldiers are branded war criminals after they defended the citizens of Israel with bravery and honor from a cruel enemy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu