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This week marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the Al Aqsa Intifada. In a speech in front of his government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed the recent reconciliation efforts between Fateh and Hamas, stressing his government’s support for their achievement and success.
He said: “Reconciliation is the only path toward the restoration of the rights of our people, and the corridor to liberation from occupation. To face the challenges will require strong will and determination.”
Haniyeh stressed that reconciliation is a strategic choice, “and not in the interest of a continued division,” noting that their efforts to achieve this was met with rejection by the Fateh movement.
He said: “There is no place for the occupation of our land, and our people have the right to live free in their homeland, with a state in all the territories occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees; this is the minimum for the achievement of stability, security and safety in the region.”
He stressed that the Palestinian people will not lay down their arms, and will not stop the resistance, as long as the occupation remains, affirming their right to live in freedom and dignity.
He thanked all those who stood with the Palestinian people in the face of the illegal Israeli occupation, siege and aggression. Haniyeh ended by saying that the future of a free Palestine was assured on account of the blood of the martyrs, tears of the widows and the steadfastness of those languishing in Israeli jails.
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MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad