Hamas again criticized the political process of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the center of which is a draft resolution calls for Israel to “end the occupation” – that is, to withdraw from Judea and Samaria – by 2017.

Mushir al-Masri, a spokesman for the Change and Reform Party in Hamas and a Hamas leader, called the resolution a “threat” to the “Palestinian problem” and the continuing series of concessions fly a “white flag.”

Masri accused the Palestinian Authority of “giving in” to Israel and walking through pointless negotiations of a political settlement, without a clear national strategy and adherence to the basic principles of the Palestinian people, in his words.

The draft resolution, said Masri, is inconsistent with the underlying positions of the Palestinian people, and those (a hint to the PA) who seek to make decisions separately and independently of the Palestinian people cannot be in a leadership position and must be brought to justice, he said.

The resolution has already been criticized by Hamas, whose spokesman said last week the resolution “doesn’t represent [the] consensus of the Palestinian people.”

Several days ago Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar added that the draft resolution in favor of Palestinian statehood was “disastrous,” and that it has “no future in the land of Palestine.”

Zahar explained that Hamas would not accept the resolution because of its focus on the pre-1967 borders, and not on all of Israeli territory which Hamas considers to be “historic Palestine”.

He further added that the movement refuses to consider allowing to be Jerusalem a capital for both Palestinian and Israeli states.

Tensions between the PA and Hamas are also apparent in light of the visit of Palestinian Authority “Prime Minister” Rami Hamdallah to Gaza, along with a delegation of ministers. Analysts say Hamdallah’s visit is to demonstrate the alleged control of the PA government offices in Gaza, and to ensure that border crossings are transferred to unity government control. 

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri criticized Hamdallah over the move, noting that the PA has no power to dismiss the workers at the border for operation under its control. The dispute between the parties is concerned solely with the continued payment of salaries to tens of thousands of civil servants appointed by the Hamas government.