PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday that the ongoing dispute between Hamas and Fatah serves an “Israeli project” to separate Gaza and Jerusalem from Judea and Samaria. His comments, made at a press conference in Ramallah, were reported by Maan news.
He called for Hamas to rejoin Fatah in leading the PA, adding, “It is time that disagreements between the Palestinians come to an end.” He noted efforts made by the Fatah-led PA to improve life in Gaza; the PA recently admitted to spending most of its money in the Hamas-run territory.
Israel is working to keep Fatah and Hamas apart in order to sever Gaza from Judea and Samaria, he claimed. The purpose, he alleged, is to “render the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible.”
“Having realized the true state of affairs, the Palestinian Authority did its best to enable our people to remain steadfast and thwart Israel's plan to separate the Palestinian territories,” he said.
Hamas and Fatah took joint control of the PA after Hamas won the majority of seats in the PA parliament in 2006. However, the two groups quickly split, as Hamas seized control of Gaza in a bloody coup in 2007. Despite several attempts at reconciliation, they remain separate, with Hamas controlling Gaza and Fatah controlling much of Judea and Samaria.
The main dispute between the two now centers on the issue of “security forces,” with both sides reluctant to give up their armed “police” forces.
Fayyad also reiterated demands for PA control over Jerusalem. “The Gaza Strip, like Jerusalem, is a prerequisite for statehood,” he said. “Just like there will be no state without Jerusalem, there will be no state without Gaza.”