PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has strongly condemned Hamas leaders for their miscalculated and tragic resistance in Gaza. Revealing his grievances during a meeting he recently had with editors of Egyptian newspapers in Cairo, Abu Mazen said with regret that the Hamas-led Intifada (an uprising, which escalated swiftly to armed struggle) had ‘entirely destroyed the lives of Palestinian people' in the occupied territories. The Palestinian President also strongly rebutted allegations circulated by Hamas and its allies in Tehran and some Arab cities that Cairo was involved in tightening the siege on Palestinians in Gaza. “Thousands of tonnes of foods and medical aid have been sent to Gaza across the two border crossings of Rafah and Erez,” Abu Mazen declared in Cairo, emphasising that Egypt alone is properly qualified to supervise the honest implementation of Palestinian reconciliation. Abu Mazen's strong words must have stung Hamas leaders, who smuggled arms into Gaza apparently to subdue their devastated and helpless people there. After they'd launched their violent coup and dismissed their Fatah rivals, Gaza became a heavily guarded prison and Hamas leaders hold its keys. The misconduct has obviously done a great harm to the Palestinian cause. Heaping further shame on the Hamas leaders, the Palestinian leader indicated that they had mistakenly trained their guns on their own people. “Hamas have relinquished the armed resistance,” he said. “They severely punish anyone who launches rockets at Israel.” As for the Palestinian reconciliation, Hamas leaders are, perhaps, worried that the implementation of the Cairo-brokered agreement will encourage Palestinians in Gaza to compel them to pay the price for the crimes they are shamelessly committing against their powerless people.
