Abbas to ‘Sons of Dogs’ Hamas: Release All Hostages and Get Out

Even with the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, this statement from Mahmoud Abbas seems at least noteworthy, if not remarkable. After all, the October 7 massacre and atrocities made Hamas more popular in the West Bank, not less, and Hamas still hopes to seize power within the Palestinian Authority at the end of their conflict in Gaza. Hamas still has terror cells operating in Abbas’ jurisdiction, and Abbas knows it.

Perhaps he senses that Hamas has run out of gas after nearly 20 months of war, both politically and militarily. Either way, the Palestinian Authority president-for-life used a particularly provocative Arab insult to demand their capitulation forthwith:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday called terror group Hamas “sons of dogs,” and told the terror group to release hostages it is holding in order to eliminate what he said was Israel’s pretext to continue its war in Gaza.

“The first priority is to stop the war of extermination in Gaza. It must be stopped – hundreds are being killed every day,” Abbas said in a speech. “Why don’t you hand over the American hostages?”

Addressing Hamas as “sons of dogs,” the PA president told the terror group to “release those you’re holding and put an end to this story. Shut down their [Israel’s] excuses. End it.”

That wasn’t the end of the demands, either. Abbas wants Hamas to disarm and convert to politics rather than terror, and leave the PA as the sole arbiter of force in the territories:

Abbas said the goals are “Returning the hostages; lifting the Israeli blockade of Gaza; stopping the displacement of our people in coordination with Arab countries; defending the ‘Palestinian cause.'”

He also stressed that “Hamas must end its control of the Gaza Strip and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.” 

Abbas also called on Hamas to turn itself into a political party, saying “talk to us instead of the Americans.”

The demand to “stop[] the displacement of our people in coordination with Arab countries” stands out in particular. The Trump administration went where previous US presidents refused to go in suggesting a mass deportation from Gaza as perhaps the only realistic solution to the conflict. Normally, that would create an immediate and unequivocal eruption of outrage from Arab nations, but this time it’s clear that some are considering the idea, at least at some scale. 

At the very least, Abbas seems worried that this might actually take place. Thanks to Hamas’ 19-year transformation of Gaza into a reinforced military redoubt using aid money intended to improve civilian infrastructure, there may be no choice. The urban areas of Gaza will have to be demolished to uproot the terrorist tunnels that run all through the enclave, and then rebuilt all over again under closer supervision. There’s no way to do that while the current population lives in these areas, even if they were inclined to cooperate — and they have given no such signal.

One must suspect that this is what drove Abbas to use the “sons of dogs” epithet to emphasize his point. Abbas knows that this would set a very uncomfortable precedent for the West Bank. If war starts there, the Israelis — who had also opposed mass relocation for obvious historical reasons before October 7 — might apply that same policy to the PA. It has become very important now for Abbas and the PA to oppose Hamas as a governing entity, although the invitation to join the PA sounds pretty incoherent in that context, too. “Join our club, you sons of mongrels” is not exactly a welcoming message.

Thus far, the response from Hamas has been … silence. Instead, they released another hostage video for propaganda in an attempt to force Israel to stop the war:

The Hamas terror group’s military wing releases a propaganda video of hostage Omri Miran, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.

Miran previously appeared in a Hamas propaganda video last April. Following the release of other hostages during the most recent ceasefire, Miran’s family reported receiving confirmation that he is alive from hostages who were held alongside him up until last July.

In the meantime, though, Jordan appears to be threatening action against Hamas’ parent organization, which they accuse of preparing for a coup or a war:

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya tells reporters that “members of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood… are operating in the shadows and engage in activities that could undermine stability and security.” He adds that authorities found “explosives and weapons transported between Jordanian cities and stored in residential areas,” as well as covert missile manufacturing facilities and “training and recruitment operations” linked to the group.

That doesn’t bode well for Abbas, nor for the Gazans who initially cheered this war. Looks like they will be stuck with Hamas all the way to the bitter end, and that end may well take them far away from Gaza.