Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said talks between the group and Egypt have been ongoing to boost bilateral ties and unblock the Rafah crossing permanently.
Speaking with al-Jazeera Net Hamdan said Hamas asked Egypt to unblock the Rafah border-crossing permanently before the Palestinians and Egyptians alike.
The group further suggested the establishment of an economic zone for free trade via the crossing so as to smooth commercial exchange between Gaza and Egypt.
Hamas also stressed the importance of security coordination to prevent any attempts to meddle in Egyptians’ or Palestinians’ security and stability.
Speaking on behalf of Hamas Movement Hamdan expressed wishes that Egypt “would recover soon” “restore its stability” and resume its active role in favor of the Palestinian cause and the nation’s causes.
“The long-term and quasi-permanent closures do neither serve our cause nor Egypt’s national security” added Hamdan.
Commenting on the Palestinian national reconciliation Hamdan said the process has been stalled due to the reluctance maintained by the Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas as regards the deals struck in Cairo some few years ago.
However Hamdan said the latest Doha meeting seemed to herald a turn for the better after an agreement has been reached with Qatar to boost reconciliation talks in partnership with earlier broker parties most notably Egypt.
He slammed Abbas for postponing municipal elections under flimsy pretexts which he said emanates from his fear to lose the ballot votes after he sensed that the wind was being taken out of his government’s sail.
“Hamas decision to run the elections and prop up the democratic process at the Palestinian home was strategic” said Hamdan. “We will forever speak up for Palestinians’ right to elect their representatives. We will always respect the fallouts of the ballot day no matter the results.”
As regards reports on the nomination of Mohamed Dahlan to the post of PA president Hamdan said this is an unlikely option since the Palestinians rather long for a leader who would garner the consensus of the entire people and opt for armed resistance as the key strategy to oust the Israeli occupation.
