Ramallah (PIC)- PA chief Mahmoud Abbas in a surprise step on Saturday called for early presidential and parliamentary elections during a speech he delivered in Ramallah city that focused on attacking the Hamas Movement.
Abbas lashed out at the Palestinians who rushed to Rafah terminal to receive PA premier Ismail Haneyya at his return from his first ever tour since he assumed office nine months ago. He described those masses who were angered by Israel’s blocking of Haneyya’s return to the Gaza Strip as a group of hooligans who sabotaged the terminal!
He said that Haneyya should have deposited the money which he brought with him to relieve the economically strangled Palestinian people in the Arab League and not to “smuggle” them via the terminal. Israel allowed the return of Haneyya without the money sums which he collected during his tour.
The PA chief said he was proud to have signed the Oslo agreements that established the PA which a large chunk of the Palestinian people describe as “treachery” because it recognized Israel’s usurpation of more than 78% of historical Palestine.
Abbas said that talks over a national unity government had reached a dead-lock and added that the PA government was only found to help the PA chief and that he alone was the ultimate decision-maker.
For his part Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar the PA foreign minister declared rejection of new parliamentary elections adding that sidestepping the people’s choice was “not acceptable”.
Zahhar expressed utter dismay at Abbas’ description of money brought by the PA ministers and MPs to salvage the Palestinians from the current economic hardships as “smuggled money”.
He said that the Hamas leaders and cadres are proud of bringing money with them from foreign tours to help their people and to provide their sustenance.
