Abbas' decision to ban official travel to Gaza sparks controversy
Following the bombing that targeted Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah during his visit to Gaza, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas banned PA officials from traveling to the strip.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has forbidden officials in his government from visiting the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in the wake of a bombing that targeted Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on March 13, igniting debate among Palestinians over motives behind the move.
According to Palestinian officials who spoke to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on March 25, "President Abbas issued an internal decision to stop the Palestinian Authority (PA) officials’ visits to the Gaza Strip after the bombing."
An improvised explosive device targeted the convoy of Hamdallah while he was headed to the opening of a wastewater treatment plant in northern Gaza. The chief of the PA General Intelligence Service, Majid Faraj, was accompanying him.
Abbas blamed Hamas for the attack during the opening meeting of the PLO’s Executive Committee in Ramallah on March 19. He said, “Targeting Hamdallah and Faraj will not be taken lying down. Hamas is behind this incident.”
