Abbas Threatens to End Palestinian Unity Deal, Hamas Says Remarks Baseless

Sunday, 7 September 2014

Abbas Threatens to End Palestinian Unity Deal, Hamas Says Remarks Baseless

Abbas Threatens to End Palestinian Unity Deal, Hamas Says Remarks Baseless
Local Editor

Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to break off a unity agreement with Hamas if it does not allow the government to “operate properly” in the Gaza Strip.

"We will not accept the situation with Hamas continuing as it is at the moment," Abbas said in remarks published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

His remarks came on the eve of talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and a key address to the Arab League nearly two weeks after a ceasefire ended a major 50-day Israeli offensive on Gaza.

"We won't accept a partnership with them if the situation continues like this in Gaza, where there is a shadow government... running the territory," Abbas said on arrival in the Egyptian capital late Saturday.

"The national consensus government cannot do anything on the ground," he charged.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri

For its part, the resistance movement Hamas, denounced his allegations as "baseless,” with spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement that Abbas’ remarks “against Hamas and the resistance are unjustified.”

"It is untrue, baseless and unfair to our people," he said, indicating that Hamas representatives would meet "soon" with their counterparts in Fatah movement to discuss fleshing out the reconciliation deal which was inked in April.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Palestinians agreed to form an interim consensus government of technocrats, ending seven years of rival
administrations in the West Bank and Gaza.