As border protests persist, Abbas steps up pressure on Gaza
Despite the ongoing protests on Gaza's borders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not seem to be backing out on his demand for a full handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is moving to increase pressure on the Islamic Hamas movement, demanding the de facto power in Gaza hand over everything, including security personnel, offices and weapons, to the Ramallah-based legitimate government.
Azzam Ahmad, a member of Fatah's Central Committee and Abbas’ point man in the talks with Hamas, told Al-Monitor by phone that Hamas must make a clear choice: “Either they hand us everything at once, or they take responsibility for everything.”
Ahmad, who has been leading the reconciliation efforts with Hamas, denied a report published by Al Jazeera April 10 claiming that Abbas gave Hamas 60 days to make a decision or else he would declare Gaza “a rebellious zone.”
The Palestinian denial, which was also confirmed by two other members of the Central Committee, is focused on the number of days rather than on the fact itself.
