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Hamas blames unity government for not seeking to lift Gaza siege

December 16, 2014 at 4:23 pm

Head of Hamas political bureau Khalid Meshaal has blamed the Palestinian unity government for not seeking to lift the Gaza siege and starting the reconstruction of the enclave.

Speaking to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Resalah, Meshaal said: “It is unreasonable that Gaza, which went for an immortal battle, faced aggression, achieved victory and showed creativity in its fighting techniques, remain closed. The sides which spoke about reconstruction have done nothing yet.”

He said that his movement is asking the Palestinian leadership and its establishments, including the government, to be responsible for the reconstruction and cooperating with officials and NGOs who are able to contribute to the reconstruction.

Meshaal stressed that his movement is persistent on its principles and said that national reconciliation is very important. He stressed that his movement maintains good relations with all sides concerned with the Palestinian issue.

The top Hamas leader described the situation in the region as “complicated”. He said that the area is witnessing changes of alliances and political equations.

“Hamas has never conceded any of its principles, including the political programme and the Palestinians’ rights,” he said. “Hamas is based on fighting the Israeli occupation, liberating holy sites and achieving the national demands.”

“Policies can change, but principles and rights cannot change. Hamas is taking a political path and this is natural, but the important thing is this path must lead to achieving our goals.”

Regarding its relations with the region’s powers, Meshaal said that Hamas has alliances and political relations based on “steadfast principles” but these relations take different forms.

“Our main target is fighting the Israeli occupation which poses a danger to the whole region,” he said, “therefore, we have relations with all sides that support our resistance and reinforce our political position.”

Internal reconciliation

Meshaal said that the situation of the Palestinian internal reconciliation is “not OK” as it is facing a “deadlock”. “This must motivate us to challenge the situation because the reconciliation is not a marginal issue,” he said.

He said that the reality of the reconciliation is “painful” and this is not based on the internal factors. “All of us know that there are external factors which basically affect the reconciliation and puts obstacles ahead of it,” Meshaal said.

“Internally, there is no boycott of Fatah because it is our partner,” he said.

“There is a kind of tension, but we are planning to leave this state of tension very soon,” he added.

Regarding Egypt, Meshaal said that his movement has never “harmed” Egypt and it is eager to maintain its national security based on its historical, Arabic and Islamic status.

He stressed that the Egyptian officials know very well the reality and “they speak about the real relations when we talks together”.

He also denied that the Gulf reconciliation had affected Hamas’s relations with Qatar. “We encourage this reconciliation because we are not based on the differences of the others,” he said.