Mahmoud Abbas accused the Palestinian group, Hamas at a Ramallah meeting on Monday of being responsible for the assassination attempt against Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and chief of intelligence Majid Faraj in Gaza last week, saying that he decided to take national, legal and financial measures to punish Hamas for its act.
Abbas said he,
does not want to punish the Palestinian people, but he has to take action against Hamas, which rules Gaza and refuses to allow the Palestinian government to rule there.
I have decided to take national, legal and financial measures to protect out national project, said Abbas.
We never thought of punishing any Palestinian citizen, not in the West Bank or Gaza. But we have to say where the wrong is and where the crime is. This situation is not acceptable.
Hamas has denied responsibility. It arrested several suspects accusing them of being behind the assassination attempt.
In a recent article, Israeli journalist, Amira Hass noted, Hamas could not have any interest in attacking senior Palestinian Authority officials on their way to inaugurate a sewage treatment plant that residents of the Gaza Strip have long awaited.
Palestinian journalist, Ramzy Baroud agreed. It would make no sense for Hamas to kill Hamdallah, he said. The group has worked tirelessly to engage the PA, as life in Gaza has become truly unlivable. Their leadership and reputation has suffered as a result of the failed efforts to end the siege.
However, Abbas accused Hamas of sabotaging all efforts for reconciliation, saying that either the Palestinian government takes full charge of everything in Gaza, or the de facto authority remains fully responsible for it.
He said he will not wait for Hamas’ investigation into the assassination attempt because we know that they, Hamas, are behind it.
He lashed out at the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, saying he is a settler who supports settlements when he said that Israel was building in its territory and not in occupied areas.
He’s a settler, so what can we expect from him, said Abbas describing Friedman.
Source: Palestine Chronicle
