‘We Will Cut Off the Hand’: Abbas’s Fatah Party Slams Iran for Interfering in Palestinian Affairs
People hold Fatah flags during a protest in support of the people of Gaza, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Hebron, in the West Bank, Oct. 27, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
The political party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday lambasted Iran for meddling in internal Palestinian affairs, accusing the Iranian regime of spreading chaos in its territory.
“This external interference, particularly by Iran, has no other objective than to sow chaos in the Palestinian internal arena, which will only benefit the Israeli occupation and the enemies of our people,” read a statement issued by Fatah, the main Palestinian faction in the West Bank and the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority (PA).
“We will not allow our sacred cause and the blood of our people to be exploited for suspicious plots that have nothing to do with them,” the statement continued. “We will be on the lookout for those tamperers, and will cut off the hand that seeks to meddle in our affairs, or harm our security services, or any of our national institutions.”
Iran is the main international sponsor of Hamas, providing the Palestinian terrorist group that rules Gaza with arms, funding, and training. The regime in Tehran also supports Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another terrorist group based in Gaza.
The PA, a rival of Hamas, has sought to publicly distance itself from the terrorist group after attempts at reconciliation. However, PA officials have been regularly rationalizing Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and in some cases even denying it took place or falsely claiming Israeli forces carried out the onslaught.
Nonetheless, US officials in the Biden administration have reportedly expressed support for a “revitalized” PA, which has long been riddled with allegations of corruption and authoritarianism while governing the Palestinians in the West Bank — to take over Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Israeli security forces have arrested 3,600 wanted persons in the West Bank, roughly 1,600 of whom have been members of Hamas.
There has been growing support among Palestinians in the West Bank for Hamas. According to recent polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, some 71 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank believe Hamas’ decision to launch an offensive against Israel on Oct. 7 was “correct.” Mounting evidence has revealed that Hamas terrorists indiscriminately killed, mutilated, and systemically raped civilians during the onslaught.
The polling also found that, among Palestinians in the West Bank, 75 percent are satisfied with Hamas’ performance in the war with Israel, about two-thirds would prefer Hamas to control Gaza after the war, and a plurality (35 percent) would choose Hamas when asked about support for Palestinian political parties and movements.
Wednesday’s statement came as the PA has asked the United Nations Security Council to vote this month to make it a full UN member.
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