Fatah hits back at criticism of new PM by Hamas, other Palestinian groups
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories – Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas’ Fatah party on March 15 hit back at criticism by Hamas and other factions over his appointment of a new prime minister, whom they said could deepen divisions as the war with Israel in Gaza rages. Mr Abbas appointed Mr Mohammed Mustafa, a long-trusted adviser on economic affairs, as prime minister on March 14 and tasked him with forming a new government.
But the factions said in a statement on March 15 that “making individual decisions, and engaging in formal steps that are devoid of substance, like forming a new government without national consensus, is a reinforcement of a policy of exclusion and the deepening of division”. Such steps point to a “huge gap between the (Palestinian) Authority and the people, their concerns and their aspirations”, they said.
The other signatories were Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza, the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian National Initiative, a political party which seeks a third way between Fatah and Hamas.
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Fatah hit back at Hamas late on March 15, accusing the Islamist movement of “having caused the return of the Israeli occupation of Gaza” by “undertaking the Oct 7 adventure”. This led to a “catastrophe even more horrible and cruel than that of 1948“, a reference to the displacement and expulsion of some 760,000 Palestinians from their lands at the creation of Israel, they said.
“The real disconnection from reality and the Palestinian people is that of the Hamas leadership,” said Fatah, accusing Hamas of not having “consulted” the other Palestinian leaders before launching its attack on Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
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https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/fatah-hits-back-at-criticism-of-new-pm-by-hamas-other-palestinian-groups
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The Straits Times is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper
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Fatah also critiqued Hamas's leadership abroad, mainly residing in Qatar since the start of the war. "It seems they are living comfortably in 7-star hotels, blind to justice. We wonder why most of Hamas's leadership lives abroad, and why they and their families fled, leaving the Palestinian people to face a brutal war without protection?"
In a further hint at the close ties between Hamas and Iran, they wrote, "Fatah calls on Hamas' leadership to stop being dependent on foreign agendas."
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk3dakqr6
