BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 24 (UPI) -- The simmering Fatah-Hamas row blew open as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused the militant group of seeking to incite internal strife.
In an interview with Jordan's daily al-Rai, reproduced Monday in Beirut's al-Mustaqbal newspaper, Abbas bluntly accused Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Meshaal of acts that would lead to civil strife.
"The Palestinian Authority rejects strife and will not accept any form of civil war regardless of who is behind it or its motivator," Abbas said in an obvious reply to a speech made by Meshaal in Damascus last week during which he attacked Abbas' Fatah Movement.
Abbas called on Palestinians "to steer away from even thinking about civil war because that will only result in harming the just Palestinian cause and will affect only the patient people attached to their land."
Abbas also stressed that the Palestinian Authority is keen on preserving its close relations with Jordan, in response to Amman's accusations that Hamas was smuggling arms to Jordan and monitoring vital targets.
"We will not accept that Jordan be harmed in any way whether the harm is small or big because Jordan constitutes our strategic depth," Abbas said.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa commented from Cairo on the Hamas-Fatah row, calling it "most revolting."
Mousa was quoted in Cairo's daily al-Ahram Monday as saying "I felt real pain as I watched this state..."
"At a time we're trying to help the Palestinian people and face fierce storms in its name, we are surprised that certain organizations are battling against each other, reflecting a total absence of responsibility," Mousa said.
He stressed that the Arab League "can deal with conspiracies and confront difficulties, but we are not ready to enter in these unacceptable and unreasonable clashes that undermine the interest of the Palestinian people."
