Hamas protest in support of Jerusalem officials

Hamas legislators and leaders of Palestinian factions demonstrated in the Gaza Strip Wednesday in solidarity with their Jerusalem colleagues who Israel wants to expel.

The demonstration was held at the Hamas-dominated parliament in Gaza City. Attallah Abu El-Sebah, Hamas’ Minister of Prisoners Affairs, criticized the Palestinian National Authority for not taking a serious position against Israel’s decision to deport Hamas officials in Jerusalem.

Two Hamas lawmakers and a former Hamas minister have been staying at the building of International Committee of the Red Cross in East Jerusalem for a year. Israel has already expelled a third lawmaker.

The four officials used to bear Israeli identity cards that they lost after running in Palestinian legislative elections as Hamas candidates in 2006. Hamas doesn’t recognize Israel.

Mohammed Toutah, one of the lawmakers, addressed Gaza protestors over the phone and said that he and his colleagues will remain at the ICRC building to avoid being driving out of Jerusalem.

Toutah also urged Palestinian factions to unite “so the Palestinians can be stronger in confronting the (Israeli) occupation.”

Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian party led by President Mahmoud Abbas, could not share power with Hamas following the 2006 elections. Hamas took over Gaza by force in 2007, sitting up its own administration there and leaving Fatah’s rule confined to the West Bank