The Palestinian Authority attempted to tighten security on the Palestinians in Gaza living under Hamas rule, secret Palestinian documents leakedto the Guardian and Al-Jazeera show.
According to the documents on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the authority complained before US envoy George Mitchell in 2009 that not enough was being done to seal up smuggling tunnels in the Strip, the Guardian reported.
The documents say that in 2009 chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Mideast envoy that the tunnels were still functioning despite Egypt's massive efforts.
Erekat also told Mitchell of an earlier meeting with Amos Gilad, aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he berated Israeli efforts at securing the relatively short border.
"Eleven kilometers! What's going on with you and the US, the $23million (donated by the US to block the tunnels). It's business as usual in the tunnels — the Hamas economy." the papers quote Erekat as saying.
The documents also show that the Palestinian Authority demanded that the "international community not legitimize the actions of Hamas" but stressed that talks would have to occur in the long run in order to avoid the splitting up and loss of territories.
In 2008, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was concerned also that the opening of the Gaza border crossings may be perceived as a Hamas victory.
"If Hamas is seen as having succeeded in opening them then the message will be that rockets yield results....Israel's dealing unilaterally on Gaza is only undermining the PA. I am not sure how many more blows our government can take before we are rendered completely ineffective," he told Quartet envoy Tony Blair in March.
The Guardian's report adds that Palestinian leaders feared the CIA and Israel would conduct secret negotiations with Hamas behind their backs.