Fatah Spokesperson Ahmed Assaf told state-run MENA that Hamas continues to be hostile against the Egyptians by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
He added that Hamas’ practices are merely an announcement that Hamas is the military wing of the Brotherhood, adding that the Palestinian people fully reject these practices.
Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Islamic University of Gaza Hani Al-Basoos described these statements as an “exchange of accusations between Fatah and Hamas.”
“Is Hamas’ support of the Brotherhood hostility towards the Egyptian people?” Al-Basoos asked.
He said that there is a division in Palestine’s political spectrum but that the polarisation within Egypt has increased tensions.
“Fatah supports the new regime in Egypt and Hamas supports the old one (Brotherhood),” Al-Basoos said.
Tensions between Hamas and Fatah have been exacerbated by the 3 July ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi. Al-Basoos said the tension between Fatah and Hamas has increased over the past few days.
In the period after the removal of Morsi, claims repeatedly surfaced that Hamas is involved in Egypt’s internal strife. Ten days after Morsi’s removal, Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardawil described these claims as media fraud. He also claimed that top Fatah figures were involved in incitement against Hamas by fabricating accusations, in cooperation with people inside the Egyptian media.
On 30 July, Hamas officials accused Fatah of running a campaign to distort the image of Hamas in Egyptian media, in a press conference in Gaza. The officials read out documents allegedly linking top Fatah officials and security apparatuses in Ramallah to the campaign. In response, Fatah’s bureau in Egypt said Hamas does not know who to accuse for its mistakes anymore and is holding others responsible for them. Fatah denounced the accusations as “trifle.”
Al-Basoos said that the accusations between Fatah and Hamas do not represent the Palestinian people in Gaza or the West Bank, adding that Palestinians support unity inside Egypt and Palestine.
