GAZA: Hamas Islamists have criticised as “dirty” money a $59 million US programme to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s presidential guard. “(The money) does not contribute to the interests of the Palestinian people and aims only to harm national unity,” senior Hamas lawmaker Yehya Moussa said on Wednesday.

Abbas’s Fatah faction formed a unity government with Hamas last month but tensions between the groups remain high. Moussa said the money was “dirty” because it will bypass the Hamas-led government and go directly to support Abbas’s presidential guard.

Moussa said the United States has “malicious intentions” to fuel fighting between Hamas and the once-dominant Fatah. The Bush administration said this week it had received a green light from Congress to start the $59.4 million security programme.—Reuters