The Islamic Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip on Monday slammed Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad over his speech envisioning the establishment of a Palestinian statehood.

"We listened to Fayyad's speech and we saw that it is a repeated speech and doesn't carry anything new except he wants to make himself a leader for the Palestinian people," said Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman in Gaza.

Barhoum said in a statement that "Fayyad wanted to show himself a successor to late leader Yasser Arafat," adding "basically Fayyad is an illegal premier and he doesn't have the right to speak on behalf of the Palestinians."

Barhoum accused Fayyad for trying to impose himself on the Palestinian people "getting the help of the Israeli occupation and the politicized money," adding "Fayyad is begging the Israelis for peace following Netanyahu's speech."

In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic policy, Fayyad voiced his hope that a Palestinian statehood with East Jerusalem as its capital would be established in two years at most.

Fayyad called for Palestinian unity to challenge the plans of Netanyahu, saying that "the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its eternal capital will be established in two years at most."

In his major Mideast peace policy address earlier this month, Netanyahu said Israel is ready to see the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian statehood only until the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2009)