Hamas Calls for National Front Against PA

The schism between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority took on an even more strident tone on Sunday as a Hamas leader called for a “national rescue front” against the PA, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency.

The report also said that Hamas has now allied itself with Muhammad Dahlan, a former PA official in exile and a bitter rival of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas politburo deputy chairman Khalil al-Hayya denounced the PA for asking Israel to reduce its supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip, as it refused to transfer funds to the Gaza authorities so they could pay Israel.

It has caused power shutdowns at hospitals, among other places.

“We won’t stand idly by as these practices lead to deprivation of medicine,” al-Hayya said in a statement. “This policy unites us all in Gaza and consolidates our belief that our plight is being hijacked by Mahmoud Abbas.”

Israeli officials have pointed out in recent days that if Hamas would use the money it diverts to terrorist projects such as the tunnels, for electricity and other vital services, it would have sufficient funds to meet its obligations.

Al-Hayya also claimed that Hamas had agreed to cooperate with Dahlan in order “to work together on social interests after Abbas crippled those interests.”

“I am not revealing a secret” in disclosing that meetings with Dahlan have been ongoing, al-Hayya said.