Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the Hamas “political bureau,” accused Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of exporting the confrontation with the "occupation" to the internal Palestinian arena.
In an interview with Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, Bardawil responded to reports that Hamas had banned the annual ceremony marking the 54th anniversary of Fatah's “armed struggle.”
He said that Hamas did not oppose the holding of the annual ceremony, but that it had tried to prevent the falsification of history by Abbas and senior PA officials.
Bardawil also said that Abbas' “inappropriate” statements (calling Hamas men "spies") prove that he is not suited to lead the “Palestinian people.” He called on the Palestinian organizations to re-examine their recognition of Abbas in his present capacity.
"Our [Palestinian] people need better leadership," he said. "Abbas (Abu Mazen) is incapable of leading the Palestinian people, and an effort must be made to remove him."
Bardawil also attacked Abbas for his decision to remove the Palestinian Authority from the Rafah crossing, claiming that his goal was to bring about the closure of the border crossing with Egypt and increase the distress in the Gaza Strip.