Meshaal discusses key Palestinian issues with Abbas

In a long phone conversation on Saturday, Khalid Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, discussed three key issues with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, an informed source told the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat.

The three issues discussed are the ongoing negotiations between the PA and Israel, the occupation’s increasing violations against Jerusalem, and the Israeli siege of Gaza, which has now worsened due to the latest wave of extreme weather. The source confirmed that at the end of the conversation, both sides agreed to continue mutual discussions.

According to the source, “Meshaal reiterated two goals during the phone call: the necessity of achieving reconciliation based upon previous agreements, and the importance of building a united national strategy to face the Zionist dangers and threats.”

Meshaal reportedly spoke to Abbas about the importance of maintaining the rights and principles of the Palestinians, telling him not to surrender to the American pressure being put on the PA. He acknowledged to Abbas that the PA is the weakest side, which means it faces even greater pressure to offer more concessions.

The source explained that Meshaal told Abbas that: “any negative outcome in the peace talks affects not only the PA alone, but also all Palestinians.”

Furthermore, Meshaal stressed the importance of not building up hopes on the talks’ outcome, because the Israeli occupation is still not ready to offer anything that would be accepted by the Palestinians.

Regarding Jerusalem, Meshaal insisted that: “Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque have to be on the top of the PA’s agenda when dealing with the other side. The unprecedented attacks against Jerusalem and its mosque, as well as the aggressive intentions towards them, have all become very clear in recent months.”

Meshaal added that: “The Al-Aqsa Mosque must be the main concern for the Palestinian movement to lobby Arab, Islamic and international bodies to place pressure on the Zionists to stop the Judaisation of Jerusalem and to undermine the occupation’s attempts to divide the holy city.”

About Gaza, Meshaal reportedly discussed the disastrous humanitarian situation caused by the seven-year-old Israeli siege, which has recently been made worse by the extreme weather and severe shortage of electricity and warming facilities.

Concluding his conversation, Meshaal thanked Abbas for his interest in supporting the Palestinians in Gaza, who he explained are experiencing “difficult circumstances”.