The Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, on Saturday accused the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) of supporting Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken its movement which controls the territory.
"The repeated calls by some of the PNA officials to cut electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza reflect an intention to weaken Hamas movement," said Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman.
Israel completely sealed off the Gaza Strip after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was rocked by a series of Israeli military operations and the ensuing rocket-fire from the territory by armed Palestinian groups.
Owing to lack of fuel, the only power plant in the Strip was shut down, threatening vital service sectors. The PNA officials in West Bank said the blackout in Gaza was a play by Hamas to draw international attention.
Meanwhile, Taha said the Israeli closure was "strongly related" to the failure of an Egyptian effort to reconcile Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement which lost control of Gaza last year.
Taha explained that the Israeli blockade tightened after his movement rejected to join the Palestinian dialogue of reconciliation, which was supposed to be held in Cairo on Nov. 9.
Hamas said it cannot negotiate while pro-Abbas forces crack down against its members in West Bank.
But Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) executive committee rejected Hamas' claims, accusing it of "neglecting the residents of the Gaza Strip."
"The only policy the coup-makers (Hamas) have is enjoying the suffering of Gaza Strip and trying to utilize the blockade on the media, but the PNA's main concern is how to save the Gaza Strip from this torture and suffering," Abed Rabbo said.
Source: Xinhua
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