|
Trending Topics
|
Abbas Refuses Reconciliation until Hamas Cedes Control of Gaza
(Times of Israel) Khaled Abu Toameh - PA President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed not to lift the sanctions he imposed on Gaza last year until Hamas completely cedes control including over its weapons, Frieh Abu Medien, a former PA minister of justice, said Thursday. Abu Medien wrote in the London-based Rai al-Youm that Abbas told him, "Hamas needs to understand that if it wants reconciliation, it must completely relinquish its rule over Gaza and allow the Palestinian government to govern and control everything, including money and weapons." "I won't lift the sanctions and I won't present any new initiatives unless Hamas meets my conditions and Gaza becomes like a ring on my finger." Abbas' sanctions include cuts in salaries of civil servants, suspension of social assistance to hundreds of families, and the forced retirement of thousands of employees.