“It is not our mission.” The Gaza tribes renew their refusal to be an alternative to the government

The Gaza tribes reaffirmed their refusal to be an alternative to the government in the Gaza Strip, noting that the mission of the tribes is “to preserve the social fabric and support the government in order to carry out its duty and work.”

The head of the Supreme Tribal Committee in the Gaza Strip, Hassan Al-Mughni, said Thursday that “all Palestinian tribes do not accept to be an alternative to the government, and their mission is to support and assist the government in performing its duty.”

Al-Mughni stressed, in a press interview, that “All Palestinian tribes do not accept to be an alternative to the government and will not accept an alternative to whoever the people chose. We are with the people’s choice and we will remain with their choice.”

He explained: “The tribes cannot rule or manage the country, and their mission is to reconcile relations, preserve the social fabric, and support the government in order to carry out its duty and work.”

He added: "The village association system cannot succeed in Gaza, as all family members belong to or support Palestinian factions."

The village associations are administrative formations established by Israel in 1978, through which it attempted to find an alternative Palestinian leadership to the PLO in order to be able to participate in self-rule negotiations and implement the Israeli civil administration plan, but Tel Aviv did not succeed in its plan at that time.

Al-Mughni stressed that “the clans are steadfast in their principles and cannot deviate from them, and they are part of this nation.”

Al-Mughni is one of the most prominent notables of Palestinian families and clans in the Gaza Strip. He founded the Tribal Gathering for National Unity in 2018, and has made significant contributions to strengthening tribal work in the Strip.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Hamas movement renewed its praise for the “responsible position” of the families and clans of Gaza, which resolutely refused to respond to the “malicious plans” of the Israeli occupation aimed at creating bodies that are “atypical” from the national ranks.

Last Sunday, the Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans and Families in Gaza said in a statement that the tribes are not “an alternative to any Palestinian political system,” but rather they are a component of the national components and “supportive of the resistance and protecting the internal front” against Israel.