Gaza closer to splitting from West Bank, says PLO official

PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo says failure to end ongoing Fatah-Hamas dispute increases possibility of division among Palestinians.

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)
The Gaza Strip is today closer to being separated from the West Bank, a senior PLO official said on Tuesday.
Referring to the ongoing dispute between Fatah and Hamas, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo said the “danger of the split between the Gaza Strip and West Bank has increased in light of failure to end the dispute.”
Speaking at a seminar in Ramallah organized by the Palestinian Peace Coalition group, Abed Rabbo claimed Israel has — for many years — been seeking to separate the West Bank from the Gaza Strip “by sowing seeds of division” among Palestinians.
“Israel is today close to achieving its goal,” Abed Rabbo said.
The PLO official said that a conference to discuss the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was due to be held in Cairo next month, could be delayed as a result of the Fatah-Hamas rivalry.
He expressed support for the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to seek a solution to the conflict with Israel through the United Nations. He also voiced support for joining international treaties and conventions, including the International Criminal Court.
Abed Rabbo said the time has come to end Washington’s monopoly over the political process in the Middle East.