On Friday, members of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas gathered in front of the closed Egyptian Embassy in the Gaza Strip to show their rejection of the decision taken by an Egyptian court last Wednesday to ban the movement.
The Egyptian Court for Urgent Matters banned Hamas, froze its assets and confiscated members’ property in Egypt in the wake of a complaint that it is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and has interfered in Egyptians affairs.
The prominent Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said before thousands of his movement’s affiliates that Hamas has never interfered in any country’s internal affairs. “All media fabrications and falsifications announced by the Egyptian media did not prove Hamas interfered in Egypt’s affairs,” he said.
Al-Hayya reiterated that banning Hamas was “absolutely a political decision,” where the judiciary was called to reinforce the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
He added: “The depth of the relationship between Egypt and Hamas cannot be ended by an oppressive court ruling by an unstable court.” However, he called on Egypt to continue its backing of internal Palestinian reconciliation.
Making a clear decision before the Egyptian embassy, which closed its doors when Hamas controlled the Strip in 2007, Al-Hayya said: “Hamas has never and will never interfere in Egyptian affairs and we hope that Egyptians stop irresponsible accusations against it.”
He called for all Egyptian officials in the government and political parties, as well as journalists, to stand before their historical responsibilities and stop the targeting of Hamas, which he said, “does not serve Egypt, but serves the Israeli occupation.”
MEMO Photographer:Mohammed Asad
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