Hamas accuses Palestinian Authority of supporting Gaza blockade

Nov 22, 2008, 9:43 GMT

Gaza - Hamas Saturday accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of supporting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in a bid to weaken the Islamic movement which controls the territory.

'The repeated calls by some of the PA officials that electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza should be cut reflect an intention to weaken Hamas movement,' said Ayman Taha, a Hamas spokesman.

Israel sealed off the Gaza Strip on November 4 after an Egyptian- brokered ceasefire was rocked by a series of Israeli military operations and ensuing rocket fire from the territory by the armed Palestinian groups.

Owing to lack of fuel, the only power plant in the Strip has been shut down, threatening vital service sectors.

However, PA officials in the West Bank have claimed the blackout in Gaza was a ploy by Hamas to draw international attention.

Taha also said the Israeli closure was 'strongly related' to the failure of an Egyptian effort to reconcile Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement which lost control of Gaza last year.

'Abbas' refusal to participate in the sessions of the (Egyptian- hosted) dialogue proves that the PA wants to isolate Hamas,' Taha said. The Israeli blockade tightened after his movement rejected joining the dialogue, he said.

But Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee, rejected the Hamas claims, accusing it of 'neglecting the residents of Gaza Strip.'

'The only policy the coup-makers (Hamas) have is enjoying the suffering of Gaza Strip and trying to utilize the blockade on the media,' Abed Rabbo added.