Hamas committed to national reconciliation, deputy leader says

Ismail Haniyeh, deputy Hamas leader, has reiterated that his movement is committed to national reconciliation leading to Palestinian unity, noting that Hamas has been and remains ready for whatever is needed to achieve this goal, Safa news agency reported on Wednesday.

In a recorded speech delivered during a celebration for the Islamic Bloc in Bier Zeit University in Ramallah on the occasion of Hamas’s 29th anniversary, Haniyeh said: “It is impossible to achieve our national goals without achieving our unity.”

He stressed the importance of adopting the strategy of the intifada and resistance as “realistic choices” for the sake of liberating Palestinians lands and securing Palestinian rights, noting that the current intifada has proved how the new Palestinian generation is able to carry on fighting for their rights.

“We liberated parts of our land in Gaza and achieved a prisoner swap by resistance,” he said, reiterating that the Palestinians would never concede their occupied lands whatever the circumstances are.

Meanwhile, Haniyeh stressed that his movement is deeply committed to the Arabic and Islamic community, and is keen to maintain balanced relations with all the components of the Arabic and Islamic nations.

“Hamas has been working hard to return the Palestinian cause to be the priority of the regional agenda, in light of the ongoing instabilities in the Arab and the Islamic states,” he said, stressing that Hamas also does not ignore the stances of the international community regarding Palestine.