Hamas dismisses UN statehood bidHamas's founding charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state and it has always rejected PA overtures with Israel, which imposes a firm blockade on the enclave.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri equally dismissed Abbas's unilateral initiative at the United Nations. "It is a cosmetic step that will not bring any useful result to the Palestinian people," he said.But Gaza political analyst Hani Habib said it was high time for action in the United Nations, noting the world body had been responsible "in the legal sense" for Israel's creation under a 1947 plan partitioning British-mandated Palestine into independent Arab and Jewish states.Habib said "disappointment over the negotiating process" had spurred Abbas into action.The analyst cautioned, however, that rallies Palestinians plan in the West Bank in support of the statehood bid could lead to violent confrontations with Israeli forces. Hamas is unlikely to let any big rallies take place in Gaza."Israel may fabricate many incidents so that the news of the incidents overshadows events at the United Nations," Habib said.Palestinian leaders say the rallies will be peaceful and held away from Israeli military checkpoints. Israeli leaders have played down the prospects for clashes and said Israeli security forces have been trained in non-lethal crowd control, while also preparing for any Palestinian violence.His back to the wall in a Beach refugee camp alleyway, Mahmoud Amer, a 52-year-old restaurant worker, said there could be only one diplomatic solution for Palestinians, a state of their own that is recognized internationally."The conflict is not over and it will never be over unless the Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital," he said.
PA statehood bid fails to generate enthusiasm in Gaza
Many in Gaza, including Hamas, see bid for UN recognition as an exercise in futility and ask why Palestinian unity was not secured first.
Hamas dismisses UN statehood bidHamas's founding charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state and it has always rejected PA overtures with Israel, which imposes a firm blockade on the enclave.Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri equally dismissed Abbas's unilateral initiative at the United Nations. "It is a cosmetic step that will not bring any useful result to the Palestinian people," he said.But Gaza political analyst Hani Habib said it was high time for action in the United Nations, noting the world body had been responsible "in the legal sense" for Israel's creation under a 1947 plan partitioning British-mandated Palestine into independent Arab and Jewish states.Habib said "disappointment over the negotiating process" had spurred Abbas into action.The analyst cautioned, however, that rallies Palestinians plan in the West Bank in support of the statehood bid could lead to violent confrontations with Israeli forces. Hamas is unlikely to let any big rallies take place in Gaza."Israel may fabricate many incidents so that the news of the incidents overshadows events at the United Nations," Habib said.Palestinian leaders say the rallies will be peaceful and held away from Israeli military checkpoints. Israeli leaders have played down the prospects for clashes and said Israeli security forces have been trained in non-lethal crowd control, while also preparing for any Palestinian violence.His back to the wall in a Beach refugee camp alleyway, Mahmoud Amer, a 52-year-old restaurant worker, said there could be only one diplomatic solution for Palestinians, a state of their own that is recognized internationally."The conflict is not over and it will never be over unless the Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital," he said.