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A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 18 SepteMber 2017
Fatah welcomes Hamas pledge to try to end Palestinian split

By M. DARAGHMEH bas in charge of autono- mands to Hamas that as a bility in Gaza. tees that this deal would
Associated Press mous enclaves in the Israe- first step, it must dissolve the Mahmoud Aloul, anoth- succeed where others
RAMALLAH, li-occupied West Bank. administrative committee, er Fatah official, told the failed.
West Bank (AP) — Earlier Sunday, Hamas an- its de facto government Voice of Palestine radio In previous deals, including
President Mahmoud Ab- nounced that it has ac- in Gaza, and allow the that the news from Cairo is one brokered by Egypt in
bas’ Fatah movement cepted key Abbas de- unity government to take encouraging, but that “we 2011, both sides professed
on Sunday welcomed a mands for ending the split. charge. want to see that happen- willingness to reconcile, but
pledge by its Hamas rival to This includes holding gen- “We accepted that as a ing on the ground before ultimately balked at giving
accept key conditions for eral elections in the West sign of our good will toward we move to the next step.” up power in their respec-
ending a decade-old Pal- Bank and Gaza, dissolving reconciliation,” Hamas of- Hamas has been greatly tive territories.
estinian political and terri- a contentious Gaza admin- ficial Hussam Badran told weakened by an Israeli A key sticking point in the
torial split, but said it wants istrative committee and al- The Associated Press. and Egyptian blockade, past was Hamas’ refusal to
to see vows implemented lowing an Abbas-led “unity “The administrative com- three wars with Israel and place its security forces in
before making the next government,” formed in mittee is now dissolved and international isolation. Gaza under the control of
move. 2014 but until now unable the government can come Gaza’s economy is in tat- an Abbas-led unity govern-
Repeated attempts at to start operating in Gaza, to Gaza today to assume ters and residents of the ment.
reconciliation have failed to finally assume responsi- its responsibilities and du- territory have electricity for It also was not clear how
since the militant Hamas bility there. ties,” he said. only a few hours a day. In Egypt’s latest effort aligns
drove forces loyal to Abbas The announcement came Azzam al-Ahmed, a Fatah recent months, Abbas has with its previous tacit sup-
from the Gaza Strip in 2007, after separate talks by participant in the talks, said stepped up financial pres- port for a separate Gaza
a year after defeating Fa- Hamas and Fatah delega- Hamas and Fatah agreed sure on Hamas, including power-sharing deal be-
tah in parliament elections. tions with Egyptian intel- to meet in Cairo within 10 by scaling back electricity tween Hamas and Mo-
The takeover led to rival ligence officials in Cairo in days, during which time the payments to Gaza, to force hammed Dahlan, an exiled
governments, with Hamas recent days. national unity government his rivals to cede ground. former Abbas aide-turned-
controlling Gaza and Ab- Egypt relayed Fatah de- should assume its responsi- Still, there were no guaran- rival.q
Iraq says may use force if Kurdish referendum turns violent

By SUSANNAH GEORGE ish region have said they
QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA hope the referendum will
Associated Press push Baghdad to come to
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq is the negotiating table and
prepared to intervene mili- create a path for indepen-
tarily if the Kurdish region’s dence. However, al-Abadi
planned independence said such negotiations
referendum results in vio- would likely be compli-
lence, Prime Minister Haid- cated by the referendum
er al-Abadi told The Associ- vote.
ated Press in an exclusive “It will make it harder and
interview Saturday. more difficult,” he said, but
If the Iraqi population is added, “I will never close
“threatened by the use of the door to negotiations.
force outside the law, then Negotiations are always
we will intervene militarily,” possible.”
he said. Iraq’s Kurds have come
Iraq’s Kurdish region plans under increasing pressure
to hold the referendum on to call off the vote from
support for independence regional powers and the
from Iraq on Sept. 25 in United States, a key ally, as
three governorates that well as Baghdad.
make up their autonomous Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in In a statement released
region, and in disputed Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. Al-Abadi says he is prepared to intervene militarily if the late Friday night the White
areas controlled by Kurd- Kurdish region’s planned referendum results in violence. House called for the Kurd-
ish forces but which are (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) ish region to abandon the
claimed by Baghdad. lenge the borders of Iraq tion to the countries in the dangerous escalation,” al- referendum “and enter
“If you challenge the con- and the borders of the re- region to violate Iraqi bor- Abadi said. into serious and sustained
stitution and if you chal- gion, this is a public invita- ders as well, which is a very The leaders of Iraq’s Kurd- dialogue with Baghdad.”q
Uproar in Turkey over removing evolution from biology class

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY an overhaul of more than unions have organized pro- velopment.” ings and the Environment”
Associated Press 170 topics in the country’s tests against the changes, He said evolutionary bi- in September 2018 where
ISTANBUL (AP) — school curriculum, includ- demanding that Turkey ology, which his ministry evolutionary mechanisms
Students in Turkey are re- ing removing all direct ref- provide a scientific, secular deemed was too ad- like adaptation, mutation
turning to school Monday erences to evolution from education for its students. vanced for high school, and natural and artificial
where they will be taught high school biology classes. Lawmakers have also op- would still be taught in uni- selection will be taught
evolution for the last time in The upcoming changes posed the new curriculum versities. without a mention of evo-
their biology classes. have caused uproar, with in parliament. Evolution has been taught lution or Darwin.Yilmaz said
Next fall, evolution and critics calling them a re- Education Minister Ismet in 12th-grade biology students would learn the
Charles Darwin will be shaping of education Yilmaz said the new “val- classes in a chapter called nature of being, including
scrapped from their text- along the conservative, Is- ue-based” program had “The Beginning of Life and “evolution and other on-
books. lam-oriented government’s simplified topics in “harmo- Evolution.” The unit will be tological opinions” in 11th-
Turkey has announced line. Opposition parties and nization with students’ de- replaced by “Living Be- grade philosophy. q