Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters joined an anti-Annapolis rally Tuesday, chanting “death to Israel,” “death to America,” and calling PA President Mahmoud Abbas “a traitor” for attending the peace talks, according to a news agency report.
At the Gaza City protest, Hamas leaders said Abbas had no right to make concessions to Israel at the U.S.-sponsored conference. “Anyone who does so will be judged by history as a traitor,” Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told the crowd.
The rally underscores serious concerns over whether any agreement would actually hold since there are two opposing Palestinian regimes: one in the West Bank (the PA), which appears amenable to compromise, and one in Gaza (Hamas), which continues to reject Israel.
Fatah and Hamas have long been at odds, but now are now warring factions. How this will impact Annapolis remains to be seen.
