Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organizations (PLO) executive committee Saeb Erekat slammed the Hamas movement, saying it has revealed its real face and proven that it is only a means to achieve the “Deal of the Century”. In statements to Voice of Palestine, he said that Palestinians stood against all of the movement’s attempts to strip the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO. It revealed its real face when Abbas chaired the Group of 77 and China and when it refused to recognize the PLO at the Moscow conference earlier this month and later, on the eve of the Arab League-European Union Sharm el-Sheikh held on Sunday and Monday, he continued. Erekat made his remarks as tensions escalated between Hamas and the Fatah movement. In Gaza, Hamas staged demonstrations demanding Abbas’ resignation, which Fatah countered with rallies in support of the president. “Those demanding Abbas and the PLO’s departure are tools that have been created to strike the national Palestinian project and prevent the establishment of an independent state,” Erekat said. Fatah member Tawfik Tirawi rejected Hamas’ demand, saying those who should leave are the sides that seized Gaza through the force of arms and created the schism among the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Palestinian government urge all forces and factions to support Abbas and the Palestinian leadership against attempts to undermine the PLO, which is the sole and legitimate representative of the nation. It called for unifying efforts to overcome all challenges, achieving national reconciliation and thwarting attempts to eliminate the Palestinian cause.