Abbas Visits Qatar Amid Talk of Hamas Joining PA

February 13, 2024

by: JNS

Tuesday, 13 February 2024 | Palestinian Authority [PA] chief Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Doha on Monday at the invitation of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss ways to incorporate Hamas into a PA-led government for Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

Sources told the Saudi-based Asharq News network that Abbas and Sheikh Tamim were scheduled to discuss plans to establish a “government of technocrats” whose main priority would be the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Israel Defense Forces’ [IDF] war against Hamas terrorists there.

The proposed government would be headed by Mohammad Mustafa, an Abbas loyalist who currently serves as the chairman of the PA’s Palestine Investment Fund, but could also include Hamas officials.

Asharq News reported that Sheikh Tamim agreed to relay Abbas’s proposal to Hamas officials following Monday’s meeting in Doha.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders and has provided the terrorist group with hundreds of millions of dollars, played a large role last year in mediating the release of Israeli hostages. It has previously deflected accusations of playing a double game, saying the US requested that it open that mediation channel.

A spokesperson for Hamas told the outlet that while it welcomes cooperation with the PA, the terrorist group demands to be consulted on “every step,” including the members of the prospective government.

According to the PA’s official Wafa news agency, Abbas during the meeting called on the international community to stop what he called a “war of extermination from the Israeli killing machine” in Gaza.

The US wants the PA to assume control of Gaza after the war against Hamas ends, a move that Israel vehemently rejects because of Ramallah’s overt support for terrorism.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has insisted that an “effective and revitalized PA” should ultimately govern the Strip.

During a January 10 meeting in Ramallah, Blinken pressed Abbas on “administrative reforms, which, if implemented, would benefit the Palestinian people.” Sky News Arabia described the tête-à-tête as “tense” and marked by “arguments.”

On January 27, Abbas’s spokesman told Al Arabiya television that the PA is prepared to hand over the reins to Hamas after the conflict. Ramallah is “prepared to hold general elections, and if Hamas wins, the president will hand over the PA,” spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said.

The US State Department has refused to rule out Hamas retaining power in Gaza or even joining a PA-led governing body that would also have jurisdiction in Judea and Samaria.

According to Palestinian polls, 89% of Palestinians support establishing a government that includes or is led by Hamas. Only around 8.5% said they favor an authority controlled exclusively by Abbas’s Fatah faction.

Posted on February 13, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on February 12, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Thaer Ghanyem/Wafa/jns.org