Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Has Harsh Words For Hamas, Stresses Unity In Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Hamas must change if it wants to be a part of the Palestinian Authority. Back in April, the two sides signed a reconciliation agreement, but Hamas has remained in control of Gaza, BBC reported. "We cannot continue working with Hamas this way. There are 27 undersecretaries of ministries who are running the Gaza Strip, and the national unity government cannot do anything on the ground," Abbas said.

Abbas is in Cairo to discuss negotiations between Hamas and Israel with Arab League foreign ministers, Haaretz reported. Abbas called for unity following April's agreement and detailed the reconstruction efforts in Gaza following the conflict with Israel. Currently, there are close to 1 million displaced Gaza residents, with hundreds of thousands sheltered in UNRWA schools. Abbas estimates a cost of $7 billion and 15 years to repair the damage, BBC wrote.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Abbas' remarks were based on incorrect information, Haaretz wrote. Zuhri said Hamas and Abbas' Fatah faction were scheduled to meet to discuss the reconciliation agreement.

The Arab League foreign ministers' meeting will also discuss action against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, with the Arab League planning to support a resolution for an Iraqi and U.S. military campaign against the militants, Reuters reported.

Following the Gaza conflict, support has grown for Hamas, yet according to a recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, the Palestinian Authority's popularity has also taken a hit. The poll indicated public favor against Abbas, due in part to failed diplomacy efforts prior to the Gaza Conflict. "He had been losing a lot of support because a lot of people in Gaza and the West Bank didn’t know what tactics he would use. Abbas is really in trouble with public opinion," Shibley Telhami, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland," said of the Palestinian president.