Fatah: Hamas sacrifices civilians, thwarts statehood

Fatah's spokesman in Europe and a member of its Revolutionary Council, Dr. Jamal Nazzal, accused Hamas of sacrificing Palestinian civilians against their will in an interview with the Fatah-affiliated network Awda TV on June 26. 

In the interview, Nazzal argued that Palestinians killed as a result of Israel’s war with Gaza did not choose to become martyrs but were instead sacrificed by Hamas. “We consider them to be martyrs, but they did not sacrifice themselves — they were sacrificed,” Nazzal said. “The people who applaud this – especially from abroad – did not try to live in Gaza.” 

Nazzal opposes Palestinian opinion polls

Nazzal also criticized public opinion polls that measure Palestinian support for the actions of October 7, such as a recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which revealed that 73 percent of Palestinians support Hamas' decision to launch the October 7 attacks on Israel. Nazzal explained that these polls portray all Palestinians as extremists, which can harm public opinion.

“The occupation says that all the Palestinians are extremists,” he said. “When the polls show support for a certain type of action – this harms the Palestinians. We could do without this poll.”

Nazzal continued, stating that the polls are biased and too specific and fail to portray the broader Palestinian population in a positive light. “When West Bank Palestinians are asked in these polls whether they support the October 7 attack in Gaza, they say 'yes,'" Nazzal said. "But when they are asked whether they support a similar attack in the West Bank, they say: 'Thank you, but no thank you.'" 

Nazzal accuses Hamas of sabotaging Palestinian state

He then accused Hamas of being fundamentally opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state, arguing that Hamas has actively sabotaged every opportunity to achieve Palestinian statehood. He cited the 1995 Oslo II Accord as the pivotal moment, under which Area C of the West Bank, which is now home to approximately half a million Jewish residents, was supposed to be "gradually transferred to Palestinian jurisdiction" with an option for land swaps under a final agreement. However, this transfer did not happen, which Nazzal blamed on the actions of Hamas. 

“Hamas carried out bombing attacks inside Israel to thwart this process,” Nazzal said. “If this process would have been allowed to run its course, it would have given the Palestinians true independence and a fully sovereign state.”