Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Hamas spokesman Dr. Sami Abu Zuhri denied tensions in relations between the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements, while confirming, in another context, that Hamas respects internal steps by Cairo to maintain security, but said that should not be part of a set-up to tighten the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“We believe that relations with the Islamic Jihad movement are strategic relations, and the ties between us are good and stable at the highest levels. There are consultations to the best interests of the Palestinian people and field-level coordination, and there are always mutual efforts to develop this relationship,” Abu Zuhri commented Sunday in a news briefing.
His remarks came on the strategic relations between the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements after friction on the ground between elements belonging to the two groups because of problems on the field.
Abu Zuhri said about steps announced by Egypt to track the elements involved in missiles fired at Eilat and Aqaba from the Sinai Peninsula: “We in Hamas assure that Egypt’s version of the story in the Eilat and Aqaba missiles are conflicting, contradictory, and unprofessional. At first they denied they were fired from Sinai, then they took it back and linked them to Hamas, then they went back and denied links to Hamas. We highlight the contradiction in these stories, and fear that they were linked to Israeli fabrications to justify and intensify the continued siege on the Gaza Strip.”
“We respect Egypt’s right to preserve its security and to take all actions it sees fit to do so, since it is an internal matter in Egypt, but the steps must not be linked to the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” he added.
On another note, Abu Zuhri clarified that talks about secret meetings between Hamas leader Dr. Omar Abdel Razeq and Israelis are false rumors initiated by Fatah to find a cover-up for its face-to-face negotiations with Israel.
“We reaffirm Dr. Omar Abdel Razeq’s denial of the false rumors, as Hamas leaders, dignitaries, and representatives in the occupied West Bank are subjected to ongoing detention in Israeli prisons, deportation attempts, and continued harassment from security, along with being targeted by Fatah security forces.”
The statements, he said, are to downplay and find a cover-up for Fatah’s practice of friendly meetings with Israeli officials, emphasizing that the rumors come at a time when Fatah leaders are working to find a crucial cover-up for stepping up to direct talks with Israel.
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