Hamas feels disappointed by Arab League's final statement

The Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas has expressed deep concern about the Arab League’s final statement as it “ignores the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip”.

The Arab League’s two-day summit ended on Wednesday in Kuwait with the announcement of a statement that covers political, economic and social issues in the Arab world.

Hamas spokesperson Sami abu-Zuhri criticised the Arab League’s statement, which did not mention the Israeli siege of Gaza and did not include any support for the Palestinians nor create any mechanism to implement the recommendations of previous meetings.

Abu-Zuhri said that his movement follows the Arab League closely and hailed some stances taken by individual Arab leaders who severely criticised the siege and announced their readiness to assist the Palestinians in overcoming their problems.

The Hamas official also praised the Arab League for refusing to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.

“However, our people wanted certain practical measures to be decided that aim to end our suffering under the Israeli occupation,” the statement said. “We are waiting for strong decisions that deter continuous Israeli settlement and stop the daily crimes carried out by the Zionists.”