Hamas issued an official statement on Saturday calling on the Palestinian Authority to stop security coordination with Israel, while it continues to carry out advanced negotiations with the Israeli government, through Egyptian and Qatari mediation, to reach a long-term truce agreement.
The statement came in response to a plan by the Israeli Defense Minister, Naftali Bennett, to allow settlers to register lands in Area C, which the PA considered an attempt to cover up Hamas’ negotiations with Israel.
A Palestinian official in Ramallah said on Saturday that the movement’s call to stop security coordination was suspicious. He noted that such coordination was maintained at the minimum level, mainly to serve the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, such as movements to and from abroad, including the travel of Hamas officials.
The Palestinian official also highlighted recent reports by Israeli media about security sources, which viewed as “positive”, Hamas’ decision to suspend the “return marches” until the end of March.
The sources noted, according to the official, that the decision was a positive message from Hamas about its readiness to reach a truce agreement.
The Palestinian official also pointed to the statements of Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, in which he said that Hamas’ main concern was to improve the welfare of the residents of the Gaza Strip, and there was a strong desire by the movement not to escalate the situation and instead consolidate calm.
In the same context, the military correspondent for Yediot Ahronoth newspaper quoted higher military sources as saying that the Hamas position was an opportunity that should not be missed.
