Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to impose more sanctions against the besieged Gaza Strip, with no regard for the impacts of his decisions on the lives of the population.
During his meeting on Tuesday with Fatah cadres in the West Bank, Abbas said he would escalate his measures against Gaza, describing his steps as a clear signal for Hamas to necessarily backtrack on its actions.
He said that Hamas in Gaza should dissolve its administrative committee, enable the government of Rami al-Hamdallah to operate freely, and accept the holding of general elections in order to avoid further sanctions.
Hamas, however, already announced its readiness to renounce the administrative committee immediately if the government in Ramallah agreed to assume its responsibilities fully in Gaza.
A few months ago, Abbas decided, as part of several punitive measures against Gaza, to shrink salaries for civil servants, deprive patients of receiving treatment abroad, reduce the power supply, and cut off medical supplies.
(Source / 16.08.2017)
