Haniyeh declines invitation to participate in Non-Aligned Summit in Tehran

Taher Al-Nunu, the Palestinian government’s spokesman in Gaza, has confirmed that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has sent apologies to the convenors of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran. The decision was made so as not to “deepen the division” in the Palestinian community. In a statement, spokesman Al-Nunu described the invitation to attend the summit as “generous and well-respected”.

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Prime Minister Haniyeh has, said Al-Nunu, decided not to go to Tehran as the government’s participation in the summit could be a means by which the divisions would be deepened, not only in Palestine but across the Arab and Islamic world. “He has,” added Al-Nunu, “put the interests of the Palestinian cause before everything else.”