Hamas on Tuesday condemned accusations by PLO factions that it interferes in domestic Egyptian affairs as “incitement,” Ma’an reported.

Hamas spokesman Salah Bardawil said PLO faction leaders were inciting the Egyptian army and the Egyptian people against Hamas and the Gaza Strip.

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He added that such incitement was “a departure from all national and moral values.”

Bardawil reiterated that Hamas does not interfere in the internal affairs of any Arab country, and is only concerned with the well-being of Arab and Islamic nations.

Several PLO faction leaders have accused Hamas of interfering in events in Egypt, where the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last week.

Senior Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad said Hamas had made a mistake by involving itself in Egyptian affairs.

“The Egyptian media daily shows their discontent from this interference, which we asked Hamas to stop more than once before,” al-Ahmad said.

He dismissed Hamas’ claims that it only monitors developments in Egypt, and said the Islamist movement interfered in Egypt through statements and actions.

Fatah Central Committee member Mahmoud Ismael criticized Hamas’ “hypocritical and contradictory” position. Hamas supported a coup in Gaza in 2007 but now condemns the choice of 30 million Egyptians who took to the streets to protest against Mursi, Ismael said.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Abdul-Rahim Mallouh said Palestine benefited from keeping out of the internal affairs of Egypt and other Arab states.

“Egypt is a vital state in the region and the Arab world. And it is important for the Palestinian people and their issue,” Mallouh said.

The PFLP official added that Hamas is considered part of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and that Hamas refers to the Egyptian Islamist movement for all its decisions.

Senior Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader Qais Abdel Karim expressed regret that Hamas abandoned the national policy of staying out of Egyptian affairs.

The people of Gaza will suffer the consequences of Hamas’ involvement in Egypt, the DFLP official said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Democratic Union secretary-general Zahira Kamal said Hamas’ interference was witnessed daily in Arab and Egyptian media.

This will negatively affect the Palestinian issue, Kamal said.

Kamal added that the Egyptian army had always defended the Palestinian people. She called on Hamas to use its military force against Israel and not to interfere in Egypt.

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