Eurasia Press & News
Mahmoud Abbas called Hamas ‘sons of dogs’ saying that they were giving Israel excuses to continue the brutal war on Gaza
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas slammed Hamas on Wednesday, demanding the group relinquish control over Gaza, fully disarm, and free Israeli captives held in the enclave.
The comments were made at the 32nd session Palestinian Central Council meeting, which some factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the National Initiative decided to boycott, alongside prominent political figures.
Abbas crudely lashed out at the group, calling them “sons of dogs,” before demanding they operate within the laws of a Palestinian state. He urged for an independent and recognised Palestinian state, which would be a part of the UN.
He went on to demand that Israel fully withdraws from Gaza, ensuring there are clear and sustainable mechanisms in place to allow for necessary aid and reconstruction. He insisted that the rebuilding of Gaza should not include any displacement of Palestinian people.
“We are already working with our brothers in Egypt, as well as with the UN, in order to hold an international conference for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which friendly countries can participate in, along with various international organisations,” he said.
He further called on Israel to stop attacks, military operations, and the building of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Commitment to the PLO
Abbas also demanded that the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which does not include Hamas, be recognised as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, adding that there should be a single Palestinian political system, law, and “national opinion”.
He denounced Hamas for its 2007 takeover of the Gaza Strip, which took place after a conflict with his Fatah organisation.
“Hamas, since its coup against Palestinian national legitimacy in 2007, and its work throughout this period to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem, causing six wars on Gaza – without exempting the occupation [Israel] of course from responsibility – has inflicted severe damage on the Palestinian cause,” he said.
He added that Hamas has, over the years, given Israel “free pretexts to carry out crimes in Gaza”, saying that one of the pretexts was taking the captives from Israel in October 2023.
“The consequences of all these actions carried out by Hamas were the aggression, destruction and closure of future prospects for our people.”
He added that this “makes it obligatory for us and our people to end its seizure of power and authority in the Gaza Strip completely, and to leave it to the PLO and the legitimate Palestinian National Authority, to protect their interests and future.”
Abbas said that at the Arab League summit in March, he had called for the creation of a new role, vice-chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO and the President of the State of Palestine, referring the matter to the Palestinian National Council.
At the meeting, he also called for amnesty for those dismissed from Fatah and called for them to be reinstated to their jobs after they submit requests to the Palestinian leadership.
Abbas said he still stands by his comments at the summit, before highlighting that Palestine is very close to a new catastrophe that “threatens our existence and threatens to liquidate our entire national cause”.
He further denounced Israel’s “barbaric aggression” on the West Bank and on Gaza, which he said violates international laws and agreements made with the PLO.
“Our vision to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and ensure security and stability in Palestine and the region requires a political horizon based on ending the Israeli occupation…including the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and recognized Palestinian state, which is a full member of the UN, and lives in security and peace alongside Israel,” he added.
The council meeting addressed several other issues, including attacks on Al-Aqsa, annexation, and resolutions from the Arab Islamic Summit, however, there were some notable absences from the discussions.
Dr. Hassan Khreisheh, a member of the Palestinian Central Council, told The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “I will not announce my boycott of the Central Council session, nor will I participate in its work.”
“This council has not met since the war of extermination against the Palestinian people [in Gaza], and I will not participate in the so-called Israeli and American reform by choosing a vice-president with powers in the presence of the president, so that we do not repeat again the experience of the martyr President Yasser Arafat,” he continued.
“Whoever wants reform and change must do so through the Palestinian will and through the ballot box,” he added.
The Palestinian Central Council was established during the 13th session of the Palestinian National Council, held in March 1977, where it was decided it would be a link between the Palestinian Central Council and the Executive Committee between every two regular sessions of the Council.
