Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh reiterated at the end of a meeting of the Palestinian factions held in Egypt on Sunday that "the option of comprehensive resistance against the crimes of the occupation and the settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem must be adopted." This statement reflects the traditional position of Hamas, which refuses to give up the military struggle and armed conflict with Israel.
On the other hand, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told the conference that "peaceful popular resistance is the best way to continue the struggle and achieve the national goals at this stage. The interests of our people demand an end to the schism and the establishment of a state with one law and one legal weapon." He sent a direct sting at Hamas, saying that "the 2007 coup in Gaza, which caused division among the Palestinian people, is a new Nakba (catastrophe) that harmed us and our cause."
Wood Hamas, Mahmoud Abbas, photo: Reuters
The contradictory statements once again exposed one of the main points of contention between the two organizations, Fatah and Hamas. Yesterday, Israel Hayom reported that Mahmoud Abbas was trying to persuade the other factions, headed by Hamas, to join the path of "popular" struggle and join the United National Command, which is responsible for conducting the "popular resistance" in Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinian conference was launched today, under Egyptian auspices, in the city of Al-Alamein in accordance with an initiative announced by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas following the Israeli operation in Jenin earlier this month. It was intended to formulate agreements on the path to national reconciliation for the entire Palestinians, during which there was talk of the need to "establish a unified strategy in order to stand against the extremist occupation government."
"Total resistance", Ismail Haniyeh, photo: Reuters
Mahmoud Abbas also said that the PLO was the sole representative of the Palestinian people and therefore its plan had to be adopted and international commitments accepted. Ismail Haniyeh, on the other hand, stressed that the institutions of the PLO must be rebuilt to include all factions, and called for elections for the Palestinian presidency and the Legislative Council. Two years ago, the PA chairman announced that he would hold general elections and then retracted his decision on the pretext that Israel "does not allow them to take place in East Jerusalem."
Mahmoud Abbas meets with Erdogan and Hamas delegation || Arab networks
The Hamas leader attacked the policy of security coordination and urged senior Fatah figures to stop what he called the "arrangements process," referring to the Oslo Accords. "It has reached a dead end, the Palestinian issue has entered a new phase of national liberation. The occupation profited from the agreements for 30 years, turned our lands into cantons, and the settlements swallowed up most of the West Bank," he said, demanding that Mahmoud Abbas stop the arrests carried out by the PA security forces against Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria. It should be noted that Islamic Jihad boycotted the gathering on precisely this background.
They did not take part in the conference. Islamic Jihad operatives in the Gaza Strip, photo: AP
Despite the relatively rare joint photo showing Mahmoud Abbas sitting next to Haniyeh, there was no breakthrough in the talks, and it was agreed to continue a dialogue in which a committee would be established to monitor the issues discussed until a formula for national unity was achieved. Prior to the extended meeting, preparatory discussions were held in smaller forums between Fatah and Hamas representatives. Mahmoud Abbas himself met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, and tomorrow he is expected to hold an official political meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Assisi.
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