By Xinhua
Ramallah : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement Saturday renewed rejection to open any talk with rival Hamas, which defeated Fatah and seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June.
“There will be no dialogue, contact or meeting with the coup-maker,” Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman told a news conference in this West Bank city, referring to Hamas.
There were continuous reports claiming that Fatah and Hamas were holding secret talks after Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip.
Abdel Rahman accused Hamas of “circulating this information to assure the oppressed people (in the Gaza Strip) that things were going to be resolved.”
“I can confirm there will be no talks as long as the coup still in place,” he claimed.
To resume the dialogue, Abdel Rahman reiterated that “the legitimacy should return in Gaza,” referring to the Ramallah-based caretaker Palestinian government, which was formed after Abbas dissolved the Hamas-led government following the Gaza takeover.
He also demanded that Hamas’ police force, a paramilitary group known as the Executive Force, should be dismantled for taking part in the fighting with Fatah militants alongside Hamas military wing.
Following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, Abbas has declared Hamas’ Executive Force as “illegal,” which was rejected by Hamas.
Abbas and Fatah have repeatedly said that for the resumption of the Fatah-Hamas national dialogue, Hamas should regret what it did in the Gaza Strip and bring the Strip back to what it was before mid-June.
In mid-June, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and seized Abbas’ compounds based in Gaza after days of bloody fighting with Fatah militants loyal to Abbas, which left over 100 people dead.
Hamas’ takeover of the Strip prompted Abbas to sever all contacts with Hamas.
Since mid-June, Fatah and Hamas movements have been engaged in a war of words to vie for image and credibility among the Palestinians.