The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) would oppose a plan by prime minister-designate to include Hamas in a united government while keeping its rule in Gaza, a PLO official said Sunday.

"So far, the Executive Committee of the PLO did not discuss Salam Fayyad's initiative," said Wassel Abu Yousef, a member of the Executive Committee, "but the Palestinian people will not accept the continuation of the split or the formation of sort of confederation between Gaza and the West Bank."

He stressed that the efforts today must be in the direction or restoring political unity to the two territories. The split widened when Hamas routed forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, ousted his Fatah party and took over Gaza in 2007.

As several proposals failed to broker reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, Abu Yousef said that the PLO prefers to resolve the crisis through national elections.

Hamas, which won the parliamentary elections in 2006, refuses to hold any type of elections before the reconciliation is reached.

Fayyad, who resigned to form a new government two weeks ago, proposes that Hamas joins his government while postponing settling the security situation in Gaza and the West Bank. He sees that the unification of political and diplomatic institutions can help uniting security agencies in the two territories.

Hamas does not recognize the governments that Fayyad has led in the West Bank since 2007. Hamas has its own government in Gaza, with was not recognized by Abbas.

Editor: Mu Xuequan