Hamas and the Palestinian Resistance Alliance have condemned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for using a derogatory phrase to describe the movement.
“In a meeting usurping the legitimacy of the leadership of the Palestinian people, Abbas described a significant and integral part of his own people using derogatory language,” said senior Hamas official Bassem Naim. “Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously lays the blame on our people for the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression.”
Abbas addressed Hamas during the 32nd session of the Palestinian Central Council: “The first priority is to stop the war of extermination in Gaza. It must be stopped – hundreds are being killed every day. Why don’t you hand over the American hostages? Sons of dogs, just release whoever you’re holding and be done with it. Shut down their excuses and spare us.” He also called on Hamas to lay down its arms.
The Palestinian Resistance Alliance condemned Abbas’s statement, saying it included “clear and dangerous insults against the Palestinian resistance forces and encouraged rhetoric that deepens division and fuels hatred among the people.”
It stressed that in its current form, the Central Council does not represent the true will of the Palestinian people, nor does it express their aspirations. “Rather, it was convened to establish political inheritance and reproduce a leadership that has lost its legitimacy due to its failed policies that have pushed the Palestinian cause to the verge of collapsing.”
Moreover, said the Alliance, Abbas’s speech does not reflect the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and the camps. “Nor does it serve the interests of the nation and its causes. Rather, it reveals a complete disconnect between a leadership without legitimacy and the reality of the daily struggle experienced by the Palestinian people.”
Addressing Abbas directly, it said, “If you truly care about the future of this nation, let your final stance be a patriotic one that restores respect for unity and national institutions, after you were a partner in deepening the division.”
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