Hamas 'project of darkness' angers Abbas
Abbas, no doubt taking strength from the support of Israel and the US, has resisted calls from Hamas to begin a reconciliation process and has stated that "there is no dialogue with these murderous terrorists".
I wonder, seriously, how long he will be able to keep that stance up? After all, Hamas are more popular in the Occupied Territories than Abbas is, and the more that Olmert and Bush sing his praises as "the leader of all Palestine" the more they tar and feather him as an US/Israeli puppet.
They are killing his chances of leading the Palestinians with every word of praise they heap upon him.
However, Abbas, with American and Israeli endorsement ringing in his ears - and how sweet that must sound after his resounding defeat at the hands of the Palestinian electorate - has decided to play the hard man role, stating that Hamas had embarked on a "project of darkness".Some Hamas officials were seeking an answer to the profound schism between Gaza and the West Bank after the collapse of the coalition Palestinian Authority triggered by the Islamic faction's bloody victory in last week's infighting.
At the same time, they stepped up the pressure on the kidnappers of the BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, seized 100 days ago yesterday, by expressing growing impatience at their failure to free him and warning that the faction would use "all the means" to release him if necessary.
Ghazi Hamad, a key aide to the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who has refused to accept his dismissal as Prime Minister by Mr Abbas, emphasised the importance of reunifying the two parts of any future Palestinian state and declared: "We are trying to find a solution. Hamas is not interested in controlling Gaza. We are not trying to build a state or empire in Gaza."
No doubt such language plays well in Israel and the US, but even George Bush would admit that he is attempting to make Abbas the leader of the Palestinians. I am not sure how such language will play in Palestine.
Hamas have set out the problems that both Hamas and Fatah face in the current stalemate:
Abbas is, indeed, in a trap. The more he nuzzles up to Bush and Olmert in order to shore up his power, the less credibility he will have on the Palestinian street. A Palestinian street that has already explicitly rejected his government."It is very difficult," he said. "There are two governments and two prime ministers. But sooner or later we have to sit together. President Abbas cannot control things without Hamas and Hamas cannot control the situation without Fatah."
In a notably downbeat appraisal, Mr Hamad claimed before last night's uncompromising speech by Mr Abbas - said to be meeting the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert soon - that the President "was in a trap" because he was unable to influence events in Gaza.
But he acknowledged that the situation posed serious problems for Hamas as well. "It is also not easy for Hamas to accept this situation because ... we want a unified authority," he said.
Indeed, he has just fired the government that the people of Palestine voted for. And he is now refusing to enter into any talks with that government.
Abbas should remember that leaders should represent the wishes of their people, not the wishes of foreign powers. Abbas has always been presented as one of Palestine's most credible leaders and negotiators, however, I wonder if there is any way that he can negotiate the torturous path before him whilst retaining that credibility and the support of his sponsors?
I suspect not. For Israeli and US support comes at a price. And the price is that Abbas assists them in overturning and continuing to ignore the democratic will of the Palestinians.
The very people that Bush insists that Abbas represents.
That's the rock on which he will surely perish.
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