September 12, 2011
Hamas distances itself from Palestinian statehood bid at UN
Speaking with Ma'an news agency, Hamas officials say planned move to garner recognition of Palestinian independence in General Assembly was undertaken without consulting the Gaza Strip-ruling group.
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From left: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
The Palestinian Authority’s push to achieve recognition of an independent Palestinian state in the United Nations has nothing to do with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials said on Monday, adding that the campaign was launched without consulting Hamas leaders.
Speaking to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency on Monday, the leaders of several Palestinian factions voiced differing opinions on the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, with both Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives strongly opposing the planned vote.
Hamas Gaza strongman Mahmoud Zahar told the Palestinian news agency that the UN push did not represent the Hamas-ruled Strip, saying that no one “asked the people in Gaza to take to the streets showing solidarity with the so-called September bid.”
“If the Palestinian Authority calls for that, we will oppose it because they detain people in the West Bank. How can I give them the right to demonstrate in Gaza, while they do not give us that right in the West Bank?” Zahar asked.
Read more at Haaretz.com.
