Hamas will not accept truncated Palestinian state in Gaza Strip, says spokesman

The Hamas resistance movement says it will not agree to the creation of a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, warning that US President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” is aimed at the establishment of a Palestinian state in the impoverished coastal enclave only.  

“We reject this deal, which seeks to undermine the Palestinian cause by taking the issues of al-Quds and refugees off the table,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in an exclusive interview with Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.

He added, “Our right extends to the whole Palestinian territories, not only the Gaza Strip. Our major goal is not only Gaza, but the liberation of all Palestine.”

The senior Palestinian official further noted that the “deal of the century,” the details of which Washington has yet to disclose, is a plan for regional peace rather than a solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

“The US administration seeks to normalize the Arab-Israeli ties and make Israel’s existence inside the heart of the Arab region as normal,” Abu Zuhri pointed out.

He said the months-long anti-occupation protests along the border between the eastern Gaza Strip and the occupied territories were part of efforts to abort the “deal of the century.”

“Our struggle and sacrifices will make it difficult for those who promote this deal,” Abu Zuhri commented.

The so-called deal, a back channel plan to allegedly reach a peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, was proposed by the US administration late last year. Although the plan has not been released, leaks signal it will consist of the same tried and failed ideas.

While little is known about the controversial deal, leaks have suggested that it entirely regards Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli territory, whereas Palestinians view the eastern sector of the occupied city as the capital of their future state.

Palestinians also believe that the US-drafted plan calls for keeping borders and security under Israeli control, while it keeps Israeli settlements’ final borders to be discussed in later negotiations.

Last month, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the plan and decried it as efforts to separate the occupied West Bank from the Gaza Strip.

“The ‘deal of the century’ will not pass and the fate of the land of Palestine will be decided by the Palestinian people,” Abbas said in a recorded speech aired on Palestine TV on November 10.

Abbas has described Trump’s plan as “the slap of the century” and has boycotted the US administration since December 2017 when Trump recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.