GAZA (PIC)– Taher Nunu spokesman for the Palestinian government in Gaza accused the Fatah-controlled PA in Ramallah led by Mahmoud Abbas of depriving the people of Gaza of large quantities of passports and corresponding with some countries to urge them not to accept passports issued or renewed in the Gaza Strip.
“The prevention of passports reflects the mentality of exclusivity and rejection of mutual understanding” Taher al-Nunu said during a press conference in Gaza on Wednesday stressing that the people of Gaza have a right to receive passports and Abbas has no right to deprive them of that as the passports belong to the people and not to any particular government body.
“The Strip is in dire need of a hundred thousand passports immediately in light of the people’s necessity resulting from their unavailability since July 2008 by the Interior Ministry” he added urging all citizens in Gaza who were denied access to original passports to file claims against the Fatah authority of Ramallah to demand their guaranteed legal right according to Palestinian law.
He added “The government of Salam Fayyad is illegal it deals with the passport issue on biased grounds by giving them to elements of the Fatah movement and not the rest of the Strip’s population.”
Nunu denied that the government had ever received any initiative to solve the passport dilemma stating “All we hear are mere statements to the media” stressing that the government is willing to accept any initiative that would contribute to solving the problem.
The Palestinian government spokesman noted that the notion that the Saudi Arabian government refused to accept renewed passports in the Gaza Strip is not credible considering Saudi Arabia’s acceptance of the passports during the Hajj season last year. He held the Fatah movement fully responsible for the Umrah (minor pilgrimage) cancellation this year.
