October 19, 2017

Islamic Hamas movement rejected Thursday the demands of the U.S. Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt to accept the requirements of the International Quartet for Peace in the region.

“Hamas movement expresses its rejection to the American blackmail and bias demands that serves the Israeli interests, and has been earlier explained by Greenblatt,” Hamas said in an official press statement.

Israeli media has earlier reported Greenblatt had stated that in order to recognize any Palestinian unity government, Hamas movement has to recognise Israel and get disarmed.

“It is a blatant interference into the internal Palestinian affairs and aims at putting a stick into the wheel of reconciliation.

“Hamas reiterates that it will carry on with implementing all the steps for reconciliation,” Hamas said.

The International Quartet, which comprises the U.S., UN, the European Union and Russia, had asked Hamas in 2006 to recognise Israel, condemn violence and recognize the peace treaties signed with Israel.

Hamas, which won in the Palestinian parliamentary elections held in 2006, rejected the Quartet’s requirements. Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip and the quartet imposed an embargo on Hamas movement.

“Hamas movement wouldn’t pay any attention to the attempts of sabotaging this track (internal Palestinian reconciliation and end of division) or obstructing it,” said Hamas statement.

On Oct. 12, leaders of Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party signed in Cairo on an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement, where Hamas agreed to hand over ruling of the Gaza Strip to Abbas consensus government.

Bassim Na’eem, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, had earlier said that Greenblatt’s words are “a barefaced interference into Palestinian affairs.