Hamas: Abbas is preventing our reconciliation with Fatah, he should step down

Senior Hamas official claims Palestinian Authority leader refuses to share power.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) talks with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas renewed on Sunday its call to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to “quit the political scene,” saying he remains an obstacle to achieving national unity.
Salah Bardaweel, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, accused Abbas of acting like a dictator “who lives in a state of personal intransigence and total refusal to share powers.”
Bardaweel called on Abbas to step down and accused him of dominating legislative, executive and judicial powers. He also accused Abbas of “hijacking” Fatah and the representation of the Palestinian people, as well as refusing any attempt to end the dispute between Fatah and Hamas.
Bardaweel told the Hamas-affiliated Al-Resalah website that he is not hopeful about the prospects of Abbas changing his stance toward the Gaza Strip and the “resistance” groups there.
“The reconciliation [between Fatah and Hamas] does not require new agreements,” the Hamas official said, referring to previous accords between the two rival parties to end their dispute.
Bardaweel also accused Abbas of preventing the PA government from carrying out its duties in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas official’s attack on Abbas comes following claims by Palestinian officials in Ramallah to the effect that Hamas is working, in collusion with Israel, to establish a separate Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders have strongly denied the claims, accusing the PA and Fatah leadership of “spreading lies.”