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Hamdallah’s Assassination Attempt Targets Palestinian Reconciliation

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (2nd-R), escorted by his bodyguards, is greeted by Hamas police forces (L) upon his arrival in Gaza City on March 13, 2018. (AFP/ Mahmud Hams)
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (2nd-R), escorted by his bodyguards, is greeted by Hamas police forces (L) upon his arrival in Gaza City on March 13, 2018. (AFP/ Mahmud Hams)
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Hamdallah’s Assassination Attempt Targets Palestinian Reconciliation

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (2nd-R), escorted by his bodyguards, is greeted by Hamas police forces (L) upon his arrival in Gaza City on March 13, 2018. (AFP/ Mahmud Hams)
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (2nd-R), escorted by his bodyguards, is greeted by Hamas police forces (L) upon his arrival in Gaza City on March 13, 2018. (AFP/ Mahmud Hams)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned on Tuesday the assassination attempt of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and head of intelligence Majid Faraj in the Gaza Strip, saying that “this crime was premeditated and its goals and perpetrators are known.”

After immediately returning to Ramallah from a trip abroad, Abbas said that the bomb blast targeting the PM’s convoy was in line with the “suspicious goals of destroying the Palestinian national project … in order to create a suspicious Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.”

On Tuesday, Hamdallah was on his way to attend the inauguration of a wastewater treatment plant in the enclave when the attack took place.

Abbas and Fatah Movement held Hamas responsible for the attack by accusing the “de facto” government in the Gaza Strip of being behind the explosion.

A statement issued by the Palestinian presidency said that “whoever carried out this act directly serves the interest of the Israeli occupation, the main beneficiary from the division,” adding that Abbas will be holding several meetings in the coming days to discuss “this dangerous development.”

However, Hamas rejected all the accusations and condemned the assassination attempt.

The Movement also promised an "urgent" investigation and said several suspects have been arrested.

Hamdallah and Faraj, who was with the prime minister in the convoy, were not hurt in the explosion. However, seven bodyguards were lightly injured.

Immediately following the attack, the Prime Minister demanded that Hamas hand over internal security in Gaza, a step needed to establish a real government.

Faraj described the attack as “a cowardly act aimed at harming national unity,” WAFA reported on Tuesday.

There are several armed organizations and groups with internal and external links, that can be accused of orchestrating the crime.

In Riyadh, an official source at the Foreign Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of the bombing.

The source said: "This attempt undermines all efforts deployed to achieve reconciliation among Palestinians and end factionalism."

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Arab World

Lebanon President Rejects ‘Seeking Foreign Help’

Aoun meets the Maronite Foundation student delegation. Photo: Lebanese presidency
Aoun meets the Maronite Foundation student delegation. Photo: Lebanese presidency
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Lebanon President Rejects ‘Seeking Foreign Help’

Aoun meets the Maronite Foundation student delegation. Photo: Lebanese presidency
Aoun meets the Maronite Foundation student delegation. Photo: Lebanese presidency

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday said seeking foreign backing against domestic rivals was “unacceptable” and urged unity to confront regional challenges, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged to press ahead with rebuilding efforts and ensure the state alone controls weapons.

Aoun, speaking to student delegations from the Maronite Foundation in the World and the Beirut Manarati Association, said his administration was working to restore trust between citizens and the state, as well as with the international community.

“Our aim is to put the state back on the right track, continue the economic reforms we began after winning parliament’s confidence, combat corruption, strengthen judicial independence, reform the banking sector and lift banking secrecy,” Aoun said.

He stressed that “no one is above the law in fighting corruption – all taboos have fallen in this regard, and the decision has been made.”

The president warned that Lebanon’s current regional challenges could only be met with unity. “Seeking foreign help against one another at home is unacceptable and has harmed the nation. We must learn from past experiences,” he said.

Aoun added that several reforms had already been passed, with key issues moving in the right direction. “We will address outstanding files calmly and through dialogue to find appropriate solutions,” he said, urging Lebanese to prioritize national interest above all else and seize the opportunities created by renewed Arab and international confidence in Lebanon.

“Our decision is to go towards a state that stands alone, and we are committed to implementing that decision,” he said.

Separately, PM Salam told the Maronite Foundation delegation that Lebanon was “not where we want it to be” as it faced political challenges, economic hardship and the legacy of years of instability.

“We are determined, government and people, to rebuild. This will only happen through an ambitious reform agenda and ensuring the state alone has the right to possess weapons, a process we have already begun,” he said.

Salam said the government was laying the foundations for a “respected, sovereign state” serving all citizens at home and abroad. Rebuilding, he said, was not limited to infrastructure and institutions but also to restoring trust between the state and its people, and between Lebanese at home and in the diaspora.

He called for the role of the diaspora to be expanded beyond remittance-sending to active participation in Lebanon’s political, economic and cultural life, and in representing its voice internationally.

“Your financial support has been crucial, but you are much more than that,” Salam said. “We want you as active partners in Lebanon’s journey to the future – welcome to your homeland today and always.”