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Unity gov't blames Hamas for obstructing its role in Gaza

Xinhua, June 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Palestinian unity government Tuesday blamed Hamas for obstructing its role in the Gaza Strip, the coastal enclave still under the Islamic movement's grip.

After holding its weekly meeting via video conference in both Ramallah and Gaza Tuesday, the government released a press statement saying that Hamas obstructed the government's function over the past year.

"For a whole year, Hamas worked on hindering the unity government from performing adequately in the Gaza Strip, disregarding the suffering and interests of the population," was the unity government's statement.

The unity government was sworn in before President Mahmoud Abbas on June 2 last year, following an agreement reached between Hamas and the President's Fatah Party. Four of the ministers were from Gaza.

The deal was to establish a government to run the population's internal affairs, reconstruct the Gaza Strip and prepare for the general elections six months following the government's formation.

"Hamas refused to handover to the unity government the various ministries in the Gaza Strip and blocked thousands of employees from returning to work as they did before 2007," said the statement.

The unity government further accused Hamas of preventing the handover of the crossing points to the new government, mainly the Rafah-Egypt border crossing, hence delaying reconstruction plans.

"The government committed from the start to all agreed upon goals, working to end internal division, reunite Palestinian establishments and preparing for the elections," it said.

In response, Hamas blamed the unity government in the Palestinian parliament for being uninvolved in the Gaza Strip, saying that the government failed on a massive scale.

Hamas also accused President Abbas of confining the unity government's role thus constricting its decision-making ability. Endit