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Abbas threatens end to unity government if Hamas rejects PA in Gaza
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas sharply warned Hamas over the weekend that failure to recognise the PA’s sole authority in Gaza could lead to the collapse of the Palestinian unity government.
Abbas was speaking on arrival in Cairo, where he was expected to meet Egypt’s President Al-Sisi before attending the Arab League’s Council of Ministers. Abbas said, “We will not allow the situation to continue as such,” and pledged, “We won’t accept a partnership with [Hamas] if the situation continues like this in Gaza,” where Hamas runs “a shadow government of 27 deputy ministers who are running the territory.” Abbas called for “one authority, one gun, one law.” The PA is slated to play a crucial role in the reconstruction of Gaza following Operation Protective Edge as an address for international donations, while its forces are earmarked to man the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
According to Haaretz, Abbas also addressed comments he was reported to have made during a meeting in Qatar during the recent Gaza conflict, saying “About 80-90 per cent of what was published is true.” Among the comments attributed to Abbas, he called Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal a liar and said, “Hamas’s goal is to destroy the West Bank and create chaos in order to stage a coup against us.”
Abbas agreed a Palestinian unity government backed by Hamas in June, which appeared to end acrimony existing since 2007 when Hamas violently overthrew Abbas’s Fatah faction in the Gaza Strip. However, Abbas did not back Hamas violence during Operation Protective Edge and said they were responsible for thousands of Palestinian deaths by rejecting an early ceasefire. Also yesterday, Abbas accused Hamas of killing at least 120 Gazan youths during the conflict, “for violating the curfew and house arrest orders.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s opposition and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog yesterday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to miss an “historic opportunity” to work with Abbas to isolate Hamas and reach a permanent peace agreement.