A heated Palestinian debate erupted after Fatah Central Committee member Majed Faraj called on Hamas to apologize to the Palestinian people for what he described as the “catastrophe” that followed Oct. 7, 2023.
Speaking to Fatah activists at a public gathering ahead of legislative elections, Faraj said Hamas should apologize before returning to political life as a Palestinian faction like any other.
“This is a personal opinion and not an official position,” he added.
Fatah supporters and several of its leaders applauded, including Zakaria Zubeidi, who was recently released from an Israeli prison under a Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange deal. His reaction drew criticism from Hamas activists and freed prisoners.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, hit back at Faraj, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, arguing that the Oct. 7 attack had strategic consequences not only for Palestine but for the region and the world.
In a Telegram post, Naim said that if Hamas were required to apologize, Faraj should also demand apologies from Fatah and the late Yasser Arafat for what, by Faraj’s own standard, were “catastrophes” inflicted on Palestinians over decades. He cited the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which was followed by Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield and the reoccupation of the West Bank, as well as earlier events in Jordan, Lebanon and the first Gulf War.
Naim said Palestinians had the right to assess every stage of their national struggle and demand accountability, but argued that such scrutiny should not be selective or serve foreign agendas. He described the Oslo process as a “major mistake” that had proved a catastrophic failure.
He added that Hamas had repeatedly called for comprehensive national dialogue to review all paths, including the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” but accused Fatah of rejecting such efforts, most recently at meetings in Ankara and El Alamein.
Fatah Revolutionary Council member Monzer al-Hayek defended his movement, saying the only thing Fatah could apologize for was failing so far to achieve an independent Palestinian state.
He noted that Fatah had built a national authority, given Palestinians an entity, identity and passport, and advanced the statehood project until Palestine achieved UN non-member observer state status.
Al-Hayek accused Hamas of obstructing the national liberation process, weakening the political track and helping create conditions that brought Israel’s far right to power.
The dispute comes amid mutual accusations that each movement is seeking to obstruct or postpone the elections. Hamas has sought to form a broad electoral coalition of several factions, while Fatah has worked to block the effort and persuaded PLO factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, not to join.
Fatah’s Revolutionary Council said the movement would contest legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 28 on an official national list in consultation with PLO factions. It called for comprehensive national dialogue, Palestinian unity within the PLO framework and a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders.
President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to holding legislative elections on Nov. 28, 2026, and urged the international community to pressure Israel not to obstruct voting in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
