Member of Hamas political bureau Mousa Abu Marzook said Wednesday that Hamas's international relations preceded the Movement’s running in the elections, and are part of its struggle against the Israeli occupation and Zionist movement.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Abu Marzook slammed the position of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Hamas’s international relations, noting that such position is based on Abbas's repeated misreading of Hamas's behavior.

Abu Marzouk said that he could not find an explanation for Abbas’s attitude towards Hamas’s international relations, noting that it may come within the Palestinian Authority's fear of competition on representation of the Palestinian people and considering Hamas as an alternative to the Palestinian Authority.

Abu Marzouk explained that Hamas encourages the parties it communicates with to keep good relations with Abbas, adding that Hamas prefers foreign parties to deal with PA ambassadors as representatives of Palestine, not of Fatah.