Hamas rejects accusations it is hindering the unity government

Hamas yesterday rejected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s accusations that it is hampering the role of the Palestinian reconciliation government in the Gaza Strip.

The movement’s spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement: “The accusation given by President Abbas that Hamas is disabling the role of the Palestinian government is unacceptable, and is a distortion of facts.”

He added that Hamas is “the only party who committed to the implementation of the reconciliation agreement, and that the Authority is the party who broke the agreement’s terms.”

Abu Zuhri noted that President Abbas aspires to “politically dismiss Hamas” but he will not succeed.

At the Arab League meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo yesterday, Abbas said that it had been agreed with Hamas that the unity government would be present at the border crossings in Gaza but this had not been realised because Hamas had obstructed the government’s role.

“It was agreed to form a consensus government but it has not activated yet, and the government has not been permitted to exercise its tasks in the Gaza Strip,” he said.