by Khaled Abu Toameh
The PA wants to return to the Gaza Strip not to replace Hamas, but to join forces with it.
Recently, there have been attempts to give Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) a role in post-war management of the Gaza Strip -- along with Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan, all Islamists and long-term adversaries of Israel.
Earlier this week, the office of UN Special Coordinator for Gaza Nikolay Mladenov, who was appointed by the US as the Director-General of Trump's "Board of Peace," revealed the establishment of a "Liaison Office" for the PA.
Mladenov seems to believe that the PA can play a positive role in the Gaza Strip, even though polls published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research have consistently shown that more than 80% of Palestinians believe it is corrupt.
Unsurprisingly, Palestinian officials were quick to welcome Mladenov's announcement: it whitewashes the PA and makes it appear as a legitimate and credible party in post-war Gaza arrangements.
Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian official closely associated with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Azzam al-Ahmad, also Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouq, in an interview published on February 23, that "Hamas is not a terrorist organization and we reject its disarmament."
Al-Ahmad also rejected [other] demands by the Trump administration....
The statements by al-Ahmad are proof that the PA leadership continues to talk in two voices: one in Arabic intended for Arab audiences and the second in English directed at Westerners.
Based on public opinion polls conducted in late 2025, a large majority of Palestinians share al-Ahmad's opposition to the disarmament of Hamas. Just because many Palestinians might be enraged at Hamas does not mean they are ready to live peacefully side-by-side with Israel.
What we are currently witnessing is an attempt to bring the PA back into the Gaza Strip through the back door. If the PA does not consider Hamas a terror organization and wants it to keep its weapons, what exactly is it going to do in the Gaza Strip? Pay salaries to Hamas and its employees? Or perhaps serve as a channel for transferring billions of dollars in aid to Hamas?
In light of al-Ahmad's statements, it is clear that the PA's return to the Gaza Strip would only help Hamas and other terror groups maintain their political and security control of the territory. Al-Ahmad is currently trying to convince Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups to join the PLO. According to reports, that is why he recently met in Egypt with representatives of the terror groups.
The PA wants to return to the Gaza Strip not to replace Hamas, but to join forces with it.
Recently, there have been attempts to give Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) a role in post-war management of the Gaza Strip -- along with Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan, all Islamists and long-term adversaries of Israel.
Earlier this week, the office of UN Special Coordinator for Gaza Nikolay Mladenov, who was appointed by the US as the Director-General of Trump's "Board of Peace," revealed the establishment of a "Liaison Office" for the PA.
Mladenov seems to believe that the PA can play a positive role in the Gaza Strip, even though polls published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research have consistently shown that more than 80% of Palestinians believe it is corrupt.
According to Mladenov's office:
"The Liaison Office will provide an official and organized channel for communication and coordination between the office of the UN Special Coordinator and the Palestinian Authority, ensuring that correspondence is received and transmitted through a clear institutional mechanism...
"The office of the UN Special Coordinator looks forward to working with the liaison office to implement the twenty-point peace plan announced by President Trump, in alignment with UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025), and to build a brighter future for the people of Gaza and the entire region."
Unsurprisingly, Palestinian officials were quick to welcome Mladenov's announcement: it whitewashes the PA and makes it appear as a legitimate and credible party in post-war Gaza arrangements.
In a letter to Mladenov, the PA's No. 2, Hussein al-Sheikh, wrote:
"I am pleased to express our welcome of the statement issued by your Office regarding the establishment of a Palestinian Authority Liaison Office and your affirmation of the importance of this institutional framework for communication and coordination. In this context, we wish to reaffirm that the contacts held with you, as well as the ongoing consultations with Mr. Steve Witkoff, Mr. Jared Kushner, and a number of partners, have all taken place within the framework of ensuring the success of the efforts led by President Donald Trump and supporting the political track aimed at achieving stability and peace."
Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian official closely associated with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Azzam al-Ahmad, also Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouq, in an interview published on February 23, that "Hamas is not a terrorist organization and we reject its disarmament."
Al-Ahmad also rejected demands by the Trump administration that the PA implement significant structural, financial, educational, and security reforms and end its "Pay-for-Slay" program to reward Palestinians involved in terrorism as a precondition for playing a role in the management of the Gaza Strip.
Both Fatah and the PLO, headed by Abbas, dominate the PA, which was established in accordance with the 1993 Oslo Accord signed between Israel and the PLO. As such, the PA is often labeled by some Israelis and Westerns as Israel's "peace partner" due to its alleged readiness to make peace with Israel.
Al-Ahmad dismissed the demand that Hamas have no role in the Gaza Strip and said the terror group was "part of the Palestinian national movement." He went on to reject demands by the Trump Administration for the PA to implement reforms.
"All talk about disarming Hamas and labeling them a terrorist organization is unacceptable to us," al-Ahmad announced.
"Hamas is not a terrorist organization. We have never considered them a terrorist organization, and we always reject any decision issued by any international institution or government to classify them as a terrorist organization, as they are part of the Palestinian national fabric."
Hamas, incidentally, has been designated as a terrorist organization by several countries and international bodies, including the US, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to Israel.
Al-Ahmad said the Palestinian leadership was opposed to any attempt to exclude Hamas from participating in the management of the Gaza Strip:
"They don't want Hamas to have any role in the Gaza Strip, and we completely reject this because Hamas is part of the Palestinian national movement."
Al-Ahmad also rejected demands by the Trump administration that the PA implement significant structural, financial, educational, and security reforms and end its "Pay-for-Slay" program to reward Palestinians involved in terrorism as a precondition for playing a role in the management of the Gaza Strip.
"It is impossible to tamper with the [Palestinian] school curriculum, and we will not allow any modifications," al-Ahmed stressed.
"The changes they are demanding include removing the word 'Palestine' and the map of Palestine from the curriculum and prohibiting the display of the Palestinian flag in textbooks. This is unacceptable. What they are calling for is a contrived reform, and we tell them that we have more intelligent and educated people than they do, and we have more scholars than they do, some of whom are relied upon by America. Therefore, we believe that the main purpose of these demands is simply to waste time."
The PA ruled the Gaza Strip from 1994 until 2007, when Hamas seized the entire territory from the PA in a violent and bloody coup. Since 2007, the PA (together with Fatah and the PLO) has been operating only in the West Bank, where Hamas has no substantial political or military activities thanks to the presence there of the Israel Defense Forces.
The PA, an extremely corrupt and unpopular regime, has indicated its eagerness to return to the Gaza Strip to assist in the management of day-to-day affairs and reconstruction after two years of a war that began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas terrorists and other Palestinians invaded Israel and murdered, wounded, tortured, mutilated and kidnapped thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals.
The statements by al-Ahmad are proof that the PA leadership continues to talk in two voices: one in Arabic intended for Arab audiences and the second in English directed at Westerners.
To his credit, al-Ahmad, unlike many senior PA officials, does not mince words when it comes to the true position of the Palestinian leadership.
When he says that Hamas is not a terror organization, he is reflecting the views of the majority of Palestinians who, according to polls, continue to support Hamas and its October 7 atrocities. Based on public opinion polls conducted in late 2025, a large majority of Palestinians share al-Ahmad's opposition to the disarmament of Hamas. Just because many Palestinians might be enraged at Hamas does not mean they are ready to live peacefully side-by-side with Israel.
Al-Ahmad's remarks about rejecting the Trump administration's demands for reforms in PA government institutions also show that the Palestinian leadership has no intention of changing.
What we are currently witnessing is an attempt to bring the PA back into the Gaza Strip through the back door. If the PA does not consider Hamas a terror organization and wants it to keep its weapons, what exactly is it going to do in the Gaza Strip? Pay salaries to Hamas and its employees? Or perhaps serve as a channel for transferring billions of dollars in aid to Hamas?
In light of al-Ahmad's statements, it is clear that the PA's return to the Gaza Strip would only help Hamas and other terror groups maintain their political and security control of the territory. Al-Ahmad is currently trying to convince Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups to join the PLO. According to reports, that is why he recently met in Egypt with representatives of the terror groups.
The PA wants to return to the Gaza Strip not to replace Hamas, but to join forces with it.
- Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22312/gaza-board-of-war
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