clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Haniyeh receives Fatah delegation in Gaza

March 22, 2014 at 2:08 pm

Gaza’s prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, received a Fatah delegation on Sunday and asserted that Palestinian reconciliation is a strategic decision for the Palestinian Authority and Hamas alike.


Haniyeh said that the Palestinian Authority offered a number of positive initiatives and decisions for the sake of inter-Palestinian rapprochement.

A delegation of Fatah’s Central Committee arrived in Gaza through Beit Hanoun crossing on Friday. The delegation was led by Nabil Shaath and Gamal Moheisen, and has been received by Fatah leaders in Gaza along with Hamas and governmental representatives, including Taher Nonou, Bassem Naim, and Ghazi Hamadah.

Speaking about the situation in the occupied West Bank, particularly as it pertains to Hamas, Haniyeh expressed his astonishment at the arrests and prosecutions of his movement’s affiliates and the security coordination with the Israeli occupation. He mentioned that the crackdown against Hamas puts pressure on decision makers regarding the reconciliation, as the movement’s rank and file, particularly in the West Bank, remain uncomfortable about reconciliation.

Furthermore, Haniyeh handed over a message to the delegation, addressed to Abbas, wherein he stressed the necessity of creating a positive climate in the West Bank, explaining that Hamas and the Gazan government cannot overlook the crackdown against their members in the occupied West Bank.

As a positive gesture, the Gaza government handed over a list of names of those permitted to return to the Gaza strip. Haniyeh pointed out that the government is carrying out these steps to prepare the ground for reconciliation. However, he added, “We do not see any steps in return, and we do not wait for swaps; this is evidence of our credibility,” he said.

Moreover, Haniyeh discussed the political situation and negotiations with the Israeli occupation, confirming his government’s rejection of Kerry’s plan. “This route does not help our people regain their stolen rights which were appropriated by murder and terror,” he added.

He asserted his government’s rejection of all pressures aimed at political blackmail, confirming their commitment to “national constants” and that they would welcome any Palestinian position that would hold on to these constants.

The government in Gaza and Hamas are treading two parallel lines, he said, which are reconciliation and ending divisions on one hand, and rejecting negotiations and Kerry’s plan on the other.

Regarding relations with Egypt, Haniyeh said: “we confirm our political principles of not meddling in other countries’ affairs. We do not have any role in the Egyptian arena and we stand at equal distance from all Egyptian brothers.”

He expressed his discontent at “the unjust media campaign” targeting Palestinians and Hamas, demanding an end of this campaign against “the Palestinian people who are suffering from real injustice.”

MEMO Photographer: Mohammed Asad

[widgetkit id=173]