Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said last week that on Monday, today, the PA and Hamas would announce details about a unity agreement between them to govern all Palestinians. The PA governs Palestinians in the West Bank, and Hamas governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas is on the U.S. terrorist list, so that the U.S. refuses to talk to Hamas. If this agreement happens, that could jeopardize Palestinians receiving over $100 million dollars per year in aid from the U.S.
Abbas has been saying that the agreement provides that he will be the ultimate authority. Since he renounces terrorism, accepts Israel’s right to exist, and has the principal Palestinian involved in peace negotiations with Israel, Abbas says this new unity government will recognize Israel’s right to exist.
It is true that any agreement reached with Israel in the peace process needs to represent all Palestinians. Thus, if Hamas is not involved in any such peace agreement with Israel, such an agreement is futile and therefore will not stand.
elect Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has been Egypt’s Defense Minister and opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. He has cracked down on Muslim-terrorist turmoil in the Sinai Peninsula. And el-Sissi has destroyed many tunnels under the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, which stops much transport of goods into the Gaza Strip. Thus, poverty in the Gaza Strip is increasing lately.
So, the PA and Hamas need to do something that helps the plight of Palestinians living in those jurisdictions as well as the millions of Palestinians living for decades in the UN-sponsored Palestinian refugee camps. But Hamas seems to have shot itself in the foot, so that there will be no positive changes made by Hamas. Yesterday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, “Hamas did not and will never recognize Israel.” If Palestinians won’t recognize the State of Israel, they need to forget about ever having their own state.
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