By Xinhua,
Gaza : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement on Saturday welcomed Hamas’ call for internal reconciliation, but still insisted on Hamas abandoning the rein of Gaza as a precondition for dialogue.
“The reconciliation is a national and a strategic necessity for the Palestinian people,” said Qadoura Fares, a leading member of Fatah.
On Friday, exiled Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal called for dialogue and reconciliation during a speech he delivered in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.
However, Fares said Mashaal’s call “requires important acts” to kick off the dialogue, referring to a condition set by Abbas that Hamas must end its control of the Gaza Strip before any talks.
Meanwhile, Hamas said Mashaal’s speech “puts the ball in Abbas and his Fatah’s court,” calling on the Palestinian president to “set himself free from the American veto and respond to the dialogue’s call.”
“Since Abu Mazen (Abbas) accepts the negotiations with the Israeli occupation, he should have accepted the dialogue with his people,” said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and took over the coastal enclave by force last June.