Abbas holds Friday prayers with Hamas leaders
Palestinian president invites senior Hamas officials to attend afternoon prayers at Ramallah Muqata compound, insists no reconciliation will take place between Fatah and Hamas until in latter cedes control of Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held Friday prayers with Hamas officials in the West Bank but reiterated he would not hold formal talks with the group until it relinquished control of Gaza.
The prayer service at the Muqata compound in Ramallah comes days after senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan threatened Hamas would soon overtake the West Bank like it had the Gaza Strip.
Sharing prayers (Photo: AFP)
"In the autumn Hamas supporters will be praying in the Muqata compound in Ramallah, Abbas' regime will fall like a leaf," he said during a rally in Gaza.
One of the guests, Nasser al-Shaer, who was deputy prime minister in the Hamas-led unity government that broke apart after the Gaza takeover said the group discussed ''internal affairs in an open atmosphere'' with Abbas, but added that the visit was ''not a meeting between Hamas and the President.''
He said he asked Abbas to ease its clampdown on Hamas in the West Bank, and respect human rights. He said the meeting sent a ''message to the Palestinians that we are one people.''
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said the Gaza leadership knew about the meeting in advance and downplayed its significance.
''It has no political meaning in light of Abbas's continued meetings with the leaders of the occupation and Abbas' boycott on holding talks with Hamas,'' he said.
News agencies contributed to this report
