The marches condemned Abbas's "political failure" for returning to the negotiating table with Israel.
By JPOST.COM STAFFPalestinian flag/protest good illustrative 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
Hundreds of Palestinians on Friday protested in the Gaza Strip against the recently renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, AFP reported.The marches, reportedly organized by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, condemned rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's "political failure" for returning to the negotiating table with Israel.Protesters marched from various mosques across the enclave toward a square in central Gaza City, according to AFP."All the Palestinian factions say you don't have the right to relinquish any piece of our land, or to give up Palestinian rights," AFP quoted Hamas Religious Affairs Minister Ismail Ridwan as saying during an address at the demonstration.According to Hamas, Abbas' decision to engage in talks with Israel was not reflective of the interest of the Palestinian people."Returning to talks is a blow to the jihad and to the sacrifices of our people, the blood of our martyrs and to our prisoners behind bars in Israel," Ridwan said.Hamas has deemed renewed peace talks a "mirage" warning Fatah and the Palestinian Authority of what the group say is the futility of negotiations.Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Jerusalem on Tuesday for the latest round of talks. The parties were due to meet in Jericho to hold the next meeting.Tensions between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have been aggravated by the recent political upheaval in Egypt.
