Meshaal calls for common strategy to achieve the goals of the Palestinian people

The head of Hamas’s political bureau Khaled Meshaal has called for devising a unified national strategy involving all the different factions to agree upon a common ground that upholds three fundamental principles: turning the page of division, confronting the Israeli occupation and achieving the objectives of the Palestinian people.

Meshaal was speaking by phone to a funeral near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank for the martyrs Adel and Imad Awadallah, who were killed in 1998 by Israeli occupation forces and whose bodies were finally returned to the Palestinian Authority. According to the Arabic weekly newspaper As-Sabeel, Meshaal said: “We are in need of a unified political platform in which we all take part. We must also pursue a strategy that is built on common ground to preserve our fundamental principles in order to be able to face the blocked doors, the failed negotiations, the Israeli intransigence and the American indifference.”

He continued: “Our way is the resistance, our choice is Jihad. This is the natural Palestinian strategy through which we can build our country, liberate our land and our holy places, as well as achieve the return of our refugees and prisoners of war. This is how we will truly honour the blood of our great martyrs,”

Meshaal also addressed the Fatah movement, in particular, saying: “Our aim is to help the internal reconciliation to succeed. Gaza is not a burden, not out of context; it is a lift to the Palestinian nation and our national project. Adding the Gaza Strip as it is to every inch in the West Bank, as well to the Diaspora, all constitute more strength. When we unite, God will surely grant us victory.”

He pointed out that signing the reconciliation agreement in Al-Shati refugee camp provided a glimmer of hope, which gives a new spirit to successfully implementing the items of the unity agreement. Meshaal called for taking the reconciliation seriously and working to unify efforts and maximise Palestinians’ capabilities in the face of the occupation.

Meshaal also praised the Awadallah martyrs: “They are great leaders and stood up for Palestine, but they chose God and the Hereafter as well as the nation’s interests above all else, such as fame or material interests. They highlight how Palestine, with its long history of martyrs and sacrifice, will continue to live on.”