Gaza, November 07: Hamas says Mahmoud Abbas’ departure from his position, as acting Palestinian Authority Chief will help the Palestinian cause.
“There are many Palestinians who are ready to take on the responsibility of leading the Palestinians people,” senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said in an inclusive interview with Press TV on Friday, adding, “Those replacing Abbas may even elevate the Palestinian cause to the next level.”
The remarks follow a decision by Abbas to not run for re-election in the January parliamentary and presidential polls, which he announced last month in the wake of his failure to reach a reconciliation deal with the Gaza-based Hamas government.
Senior Israel officials have reportedly appeared to be keen on Abbas staying in office, while Tel Aviv’s closest ally, the United States, has vowed to keep working with Abbas on the resumption of the Middle East peace negotiations, whether he is the Palestinian Authority Chief or not.
Pro-Fatah protesters also took to West Bank streets, insisting the party’s leader Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is the only option to lead the Palestinians.
Gazans, however, seemed to view Abu Mazen’s stepping down as the Palestinian Authority chief as a herald of hope that the fate of the Palestinian nation would soon change.
“I feel Mr. Mahmoud Abbas’ departure from his poison could cause a real opportunity for the advancement of the Palestinians cause and the unification of the nation,” al-Masri said.
In a televised speech late on Thursday, Abbas announced his decision not to run for a second term, blaming Israel and the United States over the stalemate in Mideast peace talks, stressing his decision was not a maneuver.
He expressed disappointment with US President Barack Obama’s failure to keep his promise to Palestinians of holding Israel accountable and compromising on the Arab nation’s rights in favor of Israel and its illegal settlements.
He criticized US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for praising hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer to limit temporary construction in West Bank settlements to 3,000 additional housing units, which Palestinians fear could open the door for the further expansion of Israeli settlements on their lands in the occupied West Bank.
Under US pressure, Abbas stopped short of announcing the death of a two-state solution. However, his chief negotiator Saeb Erekat had earlier warned that the continued expansion of Israeli settlements could force the Palestinian side to abandon the two-state solution.
—–Agencies