Khalil al-Hayya
Khalil al-HayyaReuters

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said on Thursday that the Oslo Accords tore the unity of the "Palestinian people" when members of the Palestinian Authority leadership signed the agreement, which he called the “new Balfour accord”.

In a speech in Gaza marking the anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords, al-Hayya said that "the Palestinian people in Palestine and the diaspora" are opposed to the Oslo Accords and demand that the Palestinian Authority declare that they have been cancelled.

"We tell the isolated people that they have only the legitimacy of the occupation: What remains of Oslo except for the security coordination?" he said, adding, "The time has come for the isolated and failed Oslo group to cease the continuation of this destructive policy. This group renewed the Balfour Declaration in the worst way in history, relying on dubious legitimacy."

Al-Hayya continued by saying that the Oslo Accords paved the way for the Judaization of Jerusalem and for the so-called “Deal of the Century” being promoted by the Trump administration, which Hamas opposes, will fight against and has already paid in blood for.

In a direct appeal to the initiators of the Oslo Accords, al-Hayya said that the only way is to rebuild the national institutions on the basis of partnership. He was hinting at Hamas' desire to join the PLO in order to gain control of the organization.