The Palestinian president has ruled out talks with the Hamas movement whom he accused of trying to assassinate him and of carrying out a coup in the Gaza Strip. Addressing his people on TV on Wednesday, Mahmoud Abbas harshly criticised Hamas for attacking "national symbols" during its takeover of Gaza last week.| That'd be stealing Yasser's Nobel Peace Prize and looting the presidential palazzo. |
| Unlike the upstanding al-Aqsa Martyrs, who're... ummm... murderous terrorists... |
"Our main goal is to prevent sedition from spreading to the West Bank, ... to prevent violations by any party, and to deal [with everyone] equally, based on law," Abbas said. He accused Hamas of trying to set up its own state in Gaza alone, a step he said would scuttle Palestinian hopes for independence. He said he had tried to prevent the conflict through "continuous dialogue". Instead, "we are seeing assassination of leaders of Palestinian security and Fatah in Gaza".
"It's a fight between the national project and this small kingdom they want to establish in Gaza, the kingdom of Gaza, between those who are using assassination and killing to achieve their goals, and those who are using the rules of law."
Abbas accused Hamas of trying to assassinate him when he planned a visit to Gaza a month ago, digging a tunnel under a road where his car was to pass and trying to fill it with 250 kilograms of explosives. He said he received videotapes of the operation, showing armed groups with Hamas signs on their shirts carrying out the work. He dismissed Hamas claims that the explosives tunnel was aimed at Israelis. "I have sent these tapes to all the Arab countries, to show how much this dark movement is acting," he said. "The coup seekers through their madness have given a golden opportunity to those who want to separate Gaza from the West Bank," he said. Abbas appealed to the Palestine National Council, a PLO body, to give his new government its support.