PFLP rejects Fatah’s threat to impose more sanctions on Gaza

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has rejected a threat by Fatah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to impose more sanctions on the people of Gaza, Shehab.ps has reported. The head of Fatah’s Parliamentary Bloc, Azzam Al-Ahmad, is backing the sanctions move.

In an interview with Shehab, PFLP leader Usama Al-Hajj said that Abbas and Al-Ahmad’s threats to impose more sanctions on Gaza and Hamas “are completely rejected”. He called for the PA and Fatah to take measures that reinforce the resistance and resilience of the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Palestinians do not trust the PA remarks and they are embarrassed with the continuous sanctions imposed on the Gaza Strip,” explained Al-Hajj. “We call upon Abbas to hold the temporary leadership frame of the National Council in order to draft a Palestinian policy and programme based on consensus.”

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According to the PFLP leader, the remarks by Abbas and Al-Ahmad for Hamas to hand over Gaza completely reinforce the policy of excluding partners. “There must be a national partnership based on all the deals and agreements reached and signed by the Palestinian factions,” he stressed.

Abbas has called for Hamas, which won the Palestinian elections held in 2006 — Abbas has refused to hold any since then; his own term of office actually ended in 2009 — to hand over the Gaza Strip as one package, otherwise the PA will not be responsible for anything in the besieged enclave.

Al-Ahmad threatened that if Hamas does not hand over the Gaza Strip, the PA will look at more measures to be taken against its fellow Palestinians living there.

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