Ramallah, West Bank – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Gaza’s Hamas rulers of allowing al-Qaeda to infiltrate the coastal strip, and Hamas militants on Tuesday hotly denied the allegation.
In an interview Monday with Italy’s RAI-TV, Abbas said that “thanks to the support of Hamas, al-Qaeda is entering Gaza.” Abbas, who met with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on Tuesday, offered no evidence to support his allegations.
Abbas renewed a request to deploy an international force in Gaza, widely seen as a nonstarter because of the many complications of sending forces to such a volatile area. In a joint news conference, Prodi suggested the time was not ripe for such a deployment.
Deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas rejected international forces.
“We consider any international presence in Gaza a type of external aggression against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian issue and unwanted interference in internal Palestinian affairs,” he said.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Abbas of trying to whip up sentiment against Hamas, which vanquished the president’s forces in Gaza last month and unseated his Fatah political party in 2006 parliamentary elections.
Haniyeh dismissed Abbas’ charges.
“The Islamic resistance movement Hamas has no relationship with al-Qaeda, and Hamas’ philosophy, views and politics are different,” he told the Italian broadcaster. “It focuses its struggle against the Israeli occupation and inside the borders of the occupied Palestinian territories, and it does no work outside of these borders.”
The “Army of Islam,” which last week freed BBC correspondent Alan Johnston after holding him for nearly four months in Gaza, claims links to al-Qaeda, but no concrete evidence of that has been found.
Leaving Israel late Tuesday, Prodi was held up by Israeli security because he was carrying gifts from Palestinians in the West Bank, Israeli media reported. Israel does not allow passengers to board planes with wrapped items, especially from Palestinian territories. The Italian Embassy agreed to ship Prodi’s gifts to Rome, and the premier left Israel.
Abbas reiterated that he would engage in dialogue with Hamas only if the militants reversed the violent takeover of Gaza and apologized to the Palestinian people. Hamas was unlikely to meet such demands.
Hamas leaders, fearful of deepening the group’s international isolation, suggested after seizing Gaza that they would steer clear of al-Qaeda, in line with the movement’s position to focus on the conflict with Israel.
