"The situation in the Palestinian territories worsened considerably following the seizure of power by the Hamas movement of the Gaza Strip. At present, there has been no contact between Fatah and Hamas to try and overcome the split and restore relations," Salam Fayyad said in an interview with Arab Alhurra TV channel.
Last week, Arab media reported secret negotiations between Fatah and Hamas representatives aimed at ending the inter-Palestinian conflict. But PNA President Mahmoud Abbas denied there had been any contact and said talks could only go ahead if Hamas gave up the Gaza Strip.
At the same time Fayyad said he hoped substantial progress would be made in the Middle East peace process.
"Palestinian society is ready for the creation of an independent state, but I am not sure about the position of the international community or Israel regarding promoting the Middle East peace process. It is essential to work out a credible mechanism that will help the Palestinians gain their independent from Israel," he said.
President Abbas, who now controls only the West Bank, dismissed the Hamas-led government, and his new emergency Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, enjoys the backing of most Western nations and of the more moderate Arab states.
