In Palestinian Authority And In Jordanian, Egyptian, And Saudi Press, Harsh Criticism Of New Hamas Policy Document | MEMRI

On May 1, 2017 in Doha, a week before he stepped down as Hamas political bureau head, Khaled Mash’al announced the release of Hamas’s new policy document.[1] This document has been very harshly criticized by the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, which rejected it and expressed suspicion about its credibility and about the timing of its release. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud ‘Abbas forcefully attacked it, stating that it included many contradictions and thus was not worthy of serious attention. PA and Fatah officials, and articles in the PA press, likewise criticized the document and its contradictions, accusing Hamas of attempting to mislead the public and of posing as a democratic, peace-seeking movement when it is no such thing, and of seeking to eradicate the PLO and take its place. It was also claimed that the document’s release – just prior to ‘Abbas’s White House visit – was aimed at sabotaging the visit.