PLO claims Israel and Hamas are hatching a scheme to separate Gaza

The PLO believes that Israel and Hamas are working together to officially create a Hamastan in Gaza as a separate political entity than "Palestine."

The rumor is that Israel and Hamas are working on a plan where Hamas agrees to a five year truce "above and below ground" in exchange for building an airport and seaport from which Hamas can establish independent diplomatic relations with the rest of the world.

PLO member from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Rabah Muhanna claims that they received this information from UN representative Robert Serry.

Walid Awad (People's Party) expressed deep concern , saying  "the scheme will cut off the road to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state."

Secretary General of the Arab Liberation Front, Mahmoud Ismail, said this is part of the (Zionist/Western) plot to break apart Arab nations, as is happening in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and Libya.

 Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf spoke of the danger of Hamas negotiating with Israel unilaterally, bypassing the PA, saying, "It does not matter how it was negotiating, directly or indirectly, or through international mediators; each are just as dangerous. It's been a goal of separating Gaza from the West Bank, and it ends our goal of an independent Palestinian state and Jerusalem as its capital, and the other problem is that it (undermines) the PLO leadership as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,"

"This shows us now why Hamas wriggled from the implementation of the national reconciliation agreement, they are betting on the support of Israel and other regional powers to establish their own political entity in the Gaza Strip, and therefore they have prevented the government of national reconciliation from exercising their responsibilities and functions in the Gaza Strip."

The Secretary General of the Palestinian Liberation Front Abu Yousef said that "the national project is the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of June of 1967, with its capital in East Jerusalem, with the right of return for Palestinian refugees, it is clear that [Hamas] is trying to detract from this project and principles and commits a national crime can not be tolerated \."
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Of course, the idea that Israel is going to reward Hamas - which is as weak as it has ever been - with its own means to import weapons through the sea and air, in exchange for a promise of a five year truce when most of its truces last hours, is absurd.

It was only a couple of years ago that Hamas did enjoy its political independence, its leaders traveling through Egypt to the Muslim world as if they were their own nation.