Hamas welcomes Abbas’ rivals in Gaza Strip
As the Palestinian elections near, dismissed Fatah leader Nasser al-Qudwa arrived in the Gaza Strip in a rare visit after obtaining the approval of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, as President Mahmoud Abbas’ rivals step up their moves to build counterelectoral lists.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Nasser al-Qudwa, dismissed member of Fatah’s Central Committee and former minister of foreign affairs, arrived in the Gaza Strip April 14, on his first visit to the enclave in years, as part of efforts to mobilize Gazan votes for the legislative elections slated for May.
On March 11, Qudwa was dismissed from the Fatah movement after establishing a separate current dubbed the Palestinian Democratic Assembly (PDA) on March 2. He also formed an electoral list, named the Freedom List, with imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan al-Barghouti.
Qudwa arrived in Gaza through the Rafah border crossing in the south, after obtaining approval from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, even though Qudwa fiercely attacked the movement and other Islamist Palestinian factions in a televised interview with France 24 on April 1.
In the interview, Qudwa said, “All existent Fatah parties take issue with political Islam, in general, or political Islamism.” He noted that the Fatah parties’ goal is to reclaim Gaza politically and geographically. His statements unleashed a wide wave of public criticism, especially from Hamas.
