Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas members "sons of dogs" yesterday, demanding the release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza and the disarmament of the militant group. Abbas, as reported by CNN, said that stopping the "Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip" was a priority, adding that the hostages were an excuse for Israel to continue its attacks on the territory.
“Sons of dogs, release the hostages and deprive them of excuses,” Abbas said in Ramallah.
He was speaking at a session of the Central Council, which is expected to name his successor this week, amid pressure from Western and Arab powers concerned about the Palestinian Authority's ability to play a sustainable and long-term role in peace efforts, Reuters reported.
The statements are probably Abbas' strongest public criticism of Hamas yet and mark a significant shift in tone from the Palestinian leader. They come at a time of renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt also recently promoting the idea of disarming the group.
Although Abbas has previously called on Hamas to place its forces under the control of the Palestinian Authority, this is the first time he has repeated such a demand since the start of the Gaza war, when armed Hamas members attacked Israel, prompting a fierce military retaliation from Israel, Reuters points out.
According to Israeli figures, Hamas killed around 7 people and took around 2023 hostages in the attack on October 1.200, 250. Israel's offensive, according to local health authorities, has so far claimed the lives of more than 50.000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins.
Diplomatic efforts aimed at shaping Gaza's future have focused on removing Hamas from power, but Israel has also said it will not accept any role for the PA, which has limited autonomy in the West Bank.
"Hamas must hand over its responsibilities in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, and transform itself into a political party," Abbas said.
Hamas, which forcibly ousted the Palestinian Authority from Gaza during a brief civil war in 2007, has rejected calls from Israel and the US to lay down its arms.
In the speech, Abbas accused Hamas of "causing serious harm to the Palestinian cause" since it took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
“They provided the occupier (Israel) with dangerous services for free, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and enabled this criminal occupier to find excuses to carry out its plots and crimes in the Gaza Strip, with hostages being one of the main excuses,” Abbas said.
In response, Hamas rejected Abbas's claims and questioned his "competence", saying in a statement that he "relentlessly insists on shifting responsibility for the crimes of the occupation and its continued aggression onto our Palestinian people".
Abbas addressed the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which has observer status at the United Nations as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
The PLO is a coalition of political parties that signed a peace agreement with Israel (known as the Oslo Accords) in 1993 and formed a new Palestinian Authority (PA) with promises about future Palestinian statehood that have not been fulfilled to this day. Both the PLO and PA are dominated by the Fatah party, led by Abbas.
Hamas was not a signatory to the 1993 Oslo Accords and does not recognize Israel as a state. Abbas, 89, took over the Palestinian leadership after the death of longtime PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 2004. He had resisted naming a deputy or successor for years, but the war in Gaza has increased pressure to do so.
Last month, Arab states proposed a plan for post-war governance of Gaza, under which the territory would be temporarily administered by a committee before power is returned to the PA. The United States, the European Union and the Gulf monarchies, which are expected to play a key role in financing Gaza's post-war reconstruction, have repeatedly pushed for reform of the Palestinian Authority.
Bonus video:
