By Ali Sawafta and Nidal al-Mughrabi
RAMALLAH (Reuters) -Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas known as on Hamas on Wednesday to put down arms and hand the working of Gaza to his Palestinian Authority, a part of efforts to reply worldwide doubts over the authority’s position at a key second for the area.
Abbas was talking at a management council the place he’s anticipated this week to call a successor amid stress from Western and Arab powers involved concerning the PA’s capacity to play a viable-long time period position in peace efforts.
Whereas Abbas had beforehand known as on Hamas to place its forces beneath the PA’s management, he has not completed so because the begin of the conflict in Gaza, when the militant group’s gunmen attacked Israel, prompting fierce navy retaliation by Israel.
Hamas killed round 1,200 individuals and seized about 250 hostages in its October 7, 2023 assault, in line with Israeli tallies. Israel’s marketing campaign has killed greater than 50,000 individuals, native well being authorities say, and left a lot of Gaza in ruins.
Diplomatic efforts to craft a plan for Gaza’s future have targeted on pushing apart Hamas however Israel has additionally mentioned it is not going to settle for any position for the PA, which workouts restricted autonomy within the West Financial institution.
“Hamas should hand over (its) Gaza duties and hand over its arms to the accountability of the Palestinian Authority and remodel right into a political get together,” mentioned Abbas.
Hamas, which ousted the PA from Gaza throughout a short civil conflict in 2007, has refused calls in current months by Israel and the USA to put down its arms.
PRESSURE TO NAME A SUCCESSOR
Abbas was talking to the Central Council of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which holds observer standing on the United Nations because the official consultant of the Palestinian individuals and dominates the PA.
Abbas, 89, took over the Palestinian management after the dying of veteran PLO chief Yasser Arafat in 2004. He has for years resisted naming a deputy or successor however the conflict in Gaza has intensified stress for him to take action.
Final month, Arab states proposed a post-war plan for Gaza to be quickly run by a committee earlier than being returned to the PA’s management. The US, European Union and Gulf monarchies anticipated to play a task in financing any post-war reconstruction of Gaza have repeatedly urged PA reform.
Abbas has criticised the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which he mentioned gave Israel a pretext to destroy Gaza. Israel launched its navy marketing campaign towards Hamas in Gaza after the Hamas-led assault.
(Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Angus McDowall, Enhancing by Peter Graff and Timothy Heritage)
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