Hamas declared Sunday, on the 5th anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, that it would continue to “fight the Israeli occupation” and “advance national goals,” no matter what the outcome of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) might be. 

“Our nation (the Palestinians) did not authorize a single person to negotiate with the Occupation,” the group declared in a statement, slamming Abbas and the PA.

“All of the possible outcomes the negotiations may have do not represent the will of the Palestinian people, but only represent the negotiators themselves,” Hamas claimed. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry is set to return to the region this week, to advance the negotiation process between the two countries. Rumor has it that he will “force” a deal between Israel and the PA – even though both sides have rejected the US’s security plans for an interim deal. 

The news also follows heightened tensions between the PA and Hamas, after PLO officials called on the terrorist group to withdraw its associations with the Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday. 

“The (Hamas) movement’s subordination to the Muslim Brotherhood organization has weakened the Palestinian position,” Fatah official Mahmoud Ismail charged.

Egypt has accused Hamas of being involved in terror attacks in the Sinai Peninsula and of teaching Islamists in Egypt how to carry out attacks. Hamas has denied the allegations.

PA supporters have criticized Hamas for their involvement, believing their loyalty to the Brotherhood to be greater than to “the national interests of the Palestinian people.” Hamas spokespeople declined to comment on the accusation.