LONDON: Rawhi Fattuh, the chairman of the Palestinian National Council, criticized the speech by Hamas’ top leader in exile, Khalil Al-Hayya, as reflecting the internal crisis and political confusion faced by the armed group.
Fattuh said that Al-Hayya’s claims during a televised speech on Sunday against Egypt and Jordan are an attempt to export the group’s internal crisis to regional countries.
“The attacks on Egypt and Jordan demonstrate the political confusion that Hamas is experiencing,” he said, according to Wafa news agency.
He added that the speech reflects a desperate attempt to shift blame away from Hamas’ “failed policies and uncalculated adventures” that have worsened the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hayya questioned Egypt’s role in stopping the mass starvation caused by the Israeli regime in Gaza, stating: “Are your brothers in Gaza dying of hunger while they are at your border, so close to you?”
Al-Hayya also urged Jordanians to continue their “popular uprising” to stop the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. This prompted a response from Amman stating that “the Jordanian people act independently and are not influenced by external directives or Palestinian factions.”
Fattuh said on Tuesday that Egypt and Jordan have been steadfast in their support for Palestinians in Gaza and against the Israeli displacement plans.
“It would have been more important under Hamas leadership to recognize this honorable role and appreciate the sacrifices, rather than to offend them with hostile statements that do not reflect the Palestinian national interest,” he said.
He held Hamas responsible for leaving almost 2 million Palestinians in Gaza as victims of Israeli atrocities, the monopoly of merchants, and deteriorating living conditions.
“These statements benefit the (Israeli) occupation,” he said, asserting that Palestinians refuse to engage in “imaginary battles” and stand with their Arab brethren.
Neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad is part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and both groups have long rejected calls to join what Palestinians consider their sole political representative since the 1960s.
The armed group has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 following clashes with the Palestinian Authority forces, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 700 Palestinians, according to an official tally.
Since then, it has engaged in several conflicts with Israel, the most recent being the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which resulted in the deaths and abduction of several hundred people and prompted an ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians.
