Hamas says it declined US request to join 'Abraham Accords' talks

Saleh al-Arouri, a prominent leader of Hamas, reportedly said the organisation had declined a US request for dialogue on The Abraham Accords.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

17 October, 2020

Hamas claimed the US had offered it dialogue to create internal Palestinian division [Getty]

Hamas has claimed that the United States approached it for dialogue on US President Donald Trump's so-called peace plan, a report by Arabi21 said.

Hamas political bureau deputy head, Saleh al-Arouri, said the organisation turned down the request for dialogue on the controversial deal, which is rejected by Palestinians.

In statements to local Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Arouri accused the US of using the request to create "internal division within the Palestinian position".

This, Al-Arouri claimed, would be used "to threaten the leadership of the PLO". The Hamas figure did not clarify who made the alleged request, or when it was made.

"[Palestinian] national cooperation is the appropriate response to the deal," he added.

In recent months, the rival factions of Hamas, which controls Gaza, and Fatah, whose Palestinian Authority is in control of the West Bank, started working towards resolving internal divides following the UAE-Israel normalisation deal.

The longtime Palestinian rival groups met in Turkey last month for reconciliation talks and agreed to hold elections "soon".

Read also: Israel, Bahrain to sign new diplomatic agreement on Sunday: report

The Abraham Accords – Arab-Israeli normalisation deals signed under US mediation – mark a distinct shift in a decades-old status quo where Arab countries have tried to maintain unity against Israel over its treatment of the stateless Palestinians.

The deals have angered Palestinians who consider the move a betrayal to their cause.

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