GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza Strip citizens and factions are keeping a wary eye on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has threatened to take measures in October against Hamas.
On Sept. 27, Abbas said during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly that If Hamas continues to refuse reconciliation, “We would refuse to accept any responsibility [for Gaza] moving forward.”
This comes soon after Egypt's repeated attempts to mediate a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah faltered again, and the factions resumed their mutual recriminations. Abbas and his Fatah party rule the West Bank territory from Ramallah, while Hamas administers the Gaza Strip. The reconciliation agreement they signed in October 2017 to form a unity government never panned out despite several attempts at resuscitation.
Contributing to the most recent failure were Hamas' efforts, also via Egypt, to sign a truce with Israel without including Fatah. Abbas and Fatah are adamantly against those efforts, claiming the PLO is the only party authorized to sign agreements with foreign countries. Abbas threatened Aug. 17 to stop transferring any money to the Gaza Strip should Hamas sign a truce with Israel. This very threat led the negotiations between Hamas and Fatah to falter once again, but Egypt has once again agreed to pick up the effort.
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