THE Palestinian Information Centre, the website of Hamas, last Friday posted a statement by Hamas denouncing PNA President Mahmud Abbas’s speech before the Palestine Central Council (PCC) in Ramallah on 18 July, where he stated that ‘Hamas is digging its own grave’.
It described the speech as ‘inappropriate’ and replete with profanities and obscenities unbefitting a Palestinian president.’
Hamas indicated that these profanities and obscenities ‘cannot harm or undermine the leaders and symbols of Hamas, but harm the person of Abbas, who has used these terms and epithets against the leaders of the Palestinian people.’
Hamas said it considers any call for early elections ‘illegitimate and illegal because it is not based on any law or national consensus.
‘Therefore, the President can issue a decree in this regard, but this decree will remain ink on paper because in practice no elections can be held in the absence of a national consensus on them.’
Hamas added that ‘it views with gravity the PNA President’s statement that Hamas must be punished and that Hamas is digging its own grave in Gaza.
‘This is a grave statement that shows that we are facing a plot in which the PNA leadership is participating and that is seeking to target Hamas and its leadership.’
Hamas said, ‘Such statements provide legitimacy to the occupation to target the movement and its leaders’ and ‘they make the Palestinian President a partner in any Zionist aggression carried out against Hamas and its leadership.’
The Palestinian Information Centre also ran a statement by Usamah Hamdan, representative of Hamas in Lebanon, ‘strongly denouncing’ the statements made by PNA President Mahmud Abbas during the opening of the PCC meeting in Ramallah.
Hamdan said: ‘At a time when Abbas attacks the leaders of the Palestinian people and resistance, he is keen to meet the leaders of the Zionist entity, who are slaughtering the children of our people every day, and gives in to the dictates of the US administration, which has only brought destruction for our people and their cause.’
Commenting on Abbas’ statement that Hamas is digging its own grave in Gaza, Hamdan said, ‘he who puts himself on a course that conflicts with the national interest and who implements Zionist and American agendas is the one who is digging his grave with his own hands.’
Hamdan added: ‘Hamas implements a national and resisting agenda aimed at reforming Palestinian society and resisting the occupation.
Hamas derives its legitimacy from the Palestinian people.’
The Palestinian Information Centre also quoted Dr Salah al-Bardawil, spokesman for the Hamas Bloc of Change and Reform in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
He said that ‘it is impossible to exclude Hamas from the political scene in the light of the illegal endeavours exerted by PNA President Mahmud Abbas.’
Al-Bardawil launched a ‘stinging attack’ on the meeting of the PCC in Ramallah yesterday, saying it was intended to ‘undermine the legality of the PLC and replace it’ as part of ‘a bigger plan that seeks to strike Hamas.’
The Palestinian Information Centre continued to quote Yahya Musa, head of the Hamas Bloc of Change and Reform in the PLC, as saying that ‘Mahmud Abbas is no longer fit or qualified for the post of PNA President after he stood against his people and jumped on the Zionist-American bandwagon.’
Musa added that ‘Abbas has made himself a tool for implementing the Zionist-American plans in the region, entertaining the hope of returning on a NATO tank and repeating the experiments that have occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan.’
Political pundits are saying that the Abbas speech was emotional, confrontational, and irrational.
Gaza Filastin, in Arabic is the internet version of the Hamas-run daily newspaper.
On 19 July it carried a report by Husam Hajjuj in which he said that ‘political pundits have described President Mahmud Abbas’ speech before the PCC yesterday as emotional and confrontational, casting doubt on his ability to exclude Hamas from the Palestinian political scene.’
Hajjuj quoted political analyst Ibrahim Abu-al-Hayja as saying that ‘Abbas’s speech came within the framework of goose-stepping to US and Israeli demands and conditions aimed at excluding Hamas from the Palestinian political scene.’
Abu-Al-Hayja noted that Abbas’ speech was ‘more emotional than necessary in that he used terms that he should not use in official minutes.’
For his part, political analyst Walid al-Mudallil described Abbas’ speech as confrontational, saying that ‘Abbas has not offered any chance for Palestinian reconciliation and dialogue to resolve the outstanding crisis.’
In Gaza The Martyr Izz-al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, has warned the Zionist enemy against the launching of any aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli press reports have cited the Zionist occupation as threatening to carry out an aggression against the Gaza Strip in order to assist President Mahmud Abbas.
In reaction, brigades spokesman, Abu-Ubaydah, asserted to Filastin al-An: ‘This threat is in harmony with Abbas’s statement that, according to which “they (Hamas) dug their graves with their own hands,” which is tantamount to a call for a war against the Hamas Movement and the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.’
Abu-Ubaydah added: ‘Should any aggression against Gaza take place, it will be considered an act of cooperation between President Abbas and the Zionist enemy.’
The spokesman held Abbas fully responsible for any aggression, adding that: ‘The Al-Qassam Brigades will resist any aggression with all force,’ noting that ‘the Zionist enemy will be sorry for any aggression.’