Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas reiterates that the PA is ready to take control of the Gaza Strip again following Israel’s war with Hamas, but says that will only happen if the move is part of a comprehensive political solution that includes a Palestinian State established along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel has said it intends to retain security control of Gaza for an indefinite period once it ends its military incursion to destroy the Hamas terror group that currently rules the Strip, but does not intend to re-occupy the enclave.
With Israel unlikely to agree to Abbas’s call, it remains unclear who will control the Strip after the conflict. The international community has also expressed hesitancy in taking a role.
In a speech marking the 19th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Abbas calls to preserve Arafat’s “legacy” and protect the Palestine Liberation Organization – which controls the PA – as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people – thereby disavowing its rival movement Hamas.





Leave a comment