Palestinian tribes and clans condemned Wednesday statements by Mahmoud Abbas in which the Palestinian Authority chairman said Hamas's holding of hostages gave Israel 'excuses' to attack Gaza.
“Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the holding of hostages,” Abbas said at a meeting of the Palestinian Central Council in Ramallah. “I’m the one paying the price, our people are paying the price, not Israel. My brother, just hand them over.”
On Thursday, the National Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans, and Families in the Gaza Strip released a statement condemning Abbas's statement, saying it "absolves the criminal enemy of responsibility," and "deepens the Palestinian division."
The faction gathering added that "the resistance represents the clearest path toward our just goals of liberation," and condemned Abbas's accusations against Hamas.
According to the factions, "Abbas's speech was consistent with the occupation's narrative and the Zionist narrative, as if he were a partner in protecting Israel's security." The statement reiterated the factions' support for martyrs and resistance fighters.
The factions also criticized what they called a lack of "inclusive Palestinian representation" at the Central Council meeting, adding that "the meeting was monopolized by a single Palestinian faction [which] strips the meeting of its legitimacy and credibility in the eyes of the Palestinian public."
Palestinian leadership changes
While the factions encouraged a change of leadership in Palestine, it said that "any appointment to the position of Vice President or any other position issued by the Central Council without national consensus and presence is illegitimate and rejected by the Palestinian people."
Similar condemnation came from Hamas itself on Thursday following Abbas's remarks. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said that Abbas’s remarks were “insulting”.
“Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously lays the blame for the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression on our people,” he said.