Hamas, PA quarrel over government functions in Gaza
Amid the ongoing debate between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority over administration of Gaza, Palestinians' hardships continue.
Rival Palestinian political parties Hamas and Fatah say they want the same thing — in theory. They agree they are in agreement, then proceed to disagree. Meanwhile, Palestinians suffer.
Thousands of people protested Jan. 12 in the Gaza Strip over severe electricity shortages. For months, Gazans have been living through successive crises as Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas have traded accusations.
The government accuses Hamas, which controls Gaza Electricity Distribution Co., of preventing the government from performing its duties to end the crisis. In exchange, Hamas charges that Abbas is obstructing its efforts to resolve the problem.
One of the results of the ever-worsening situation in Gaza is Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah’s demand Jan. 16 that Hamas hand over all governmental administrative and service bodies in the Gaza Strip, not just the electric company, to the Palestinian government.
