Osama Hamdan, the head of the international relations committee of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, stressed on Thursday that any role supportive of the Palestinian cause and which does not dictate conditions must be welcomed, Felesteen Online news reported.
Speaking at a conference held in Beirut titled “The future of the Palestinian resistance after the war on Gaza,” Felesteen Online quoted Hamdan as saying: “We are promoting a national cause and we seek support from everyone; this support must not be viewed as threatening to others.”
He added, “We are required to gather support from everyone. Everyone has something to say, and we stress that there is no need for others to look for anything from the supporting parties other than their relationship of support, because we are looking for supporters.”
On his movement’s relations with Iran and Hezbollah, Hamdan denied that there were direct confrontations between Hamas and its supporters after the Syrian revolution, but did recognise that some parties have tried to ruin these relations.
He noted that some who claim to understand Iran’s or Hezbollah’s position have attacked Hamas merely because the movement explicitly said, amidst the crises occurring in the region, that it chooses to liberate Palestine and avoids getting involved in other crises.
Hamdan added, “These parties were relentless and continued to attack Hamas during the most recent war in Gaza, accusing Hamas of fighting the war for the sake of Qatar or Turkey.” He then asked, “Were the previous wars in Gaza fought on behalf of others, and if so, whom?”
He stressed that some people who have preconceptions are looking for evidence to support them, adding that Hamas believes that its objective and cause is to liberate Palestine, not to get involved or distracted by other regional crises.
The Hamas official also said: “Those who want to objectively criticise Hamas can do so, but those who criticise us for our good relations with Iran and Hezbollah must be quiet. We believe that our responsibilities require us to expand our circle of supporters and escape the regional polarisations.”