RAMALLAH/GAZA: Hamas yesterday accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken the resistance movement which controls the territory.
Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman, said in a press statement that “the repeated calls by some of the PA officials to cut electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza reflect an intention to weaken the Hamas movement.”
Israel completely sealed off the Gaza Strip after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire was rocked by a series of Israeli military operations and the ensuing rocket-fire from the area by armed Palestinian resistance groups.
Owing to lack of fuel, the only power plant in the Strip has been shut down, threatening vital service sectors. However, Ramallah-based officials said the blackout in Gaza was a play by Hamas to draw international attention.
Taha also said the Israeli closure was “strongly related” to the failure of an Egyptian effort to reconcile Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement which lost control of Gaza last year. He explained that the Israeli blockade tightened after his movement rejected to join the Palestinian reconciliation dialogue, which was supposed to be held in Cairo early this month.
Hamas said it cannot negotiate while Abbas’ security forces crack down against its members and supporters in West Bank.
Hamas movement yesterday said that it was ready to participate in the inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo if its demands were met.
“Releasing our prisoners in West Bank and allowing our leaders there to travel to attend the dialogue” are the most pressing demands by Hamas to pave the way for holding a reconciliation dialogue, said Ismail Redwan, a spokesman for Hamas.
A reconciliation dialogue between Fatah and Hamas was due to start on Nov. 9 in Cairo but Hamas boycotted the meeting in protest against the ongoing arrest campaigns against its supporters in the West Bank.
Hamas accused security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of arresting 600 Hamas’ supporters.
