Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech on Thursday calling on his supporters to overthrow Hamas in Gaza.  According to Haaretz, Abbas told listeners “We have to bring down this bunch that took over Gaza with armed force.”

Abbas’s speech followed the deaths of eight Fatah supporters earlier in the week when Hamas terrorists opened fire on a rally in memory of former PA Chairman and Fatah arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat.  While Abbas has called on Hamas to give up control of Gaza, he had not explicitly called for the group to be forcibly removed from power until now.