Hamas condemns Palestinian Labour Minister’s meeting with Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem

On Wednesday, Hamas condemned the meeting of Palestinian Labour Minister Maamoun Abu Shahla with his Israeli counterpart Haim Katz which was held on Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Al-Qanua said that “this meeting, at the heart of Jerusalem, is a provocation of our Palestinian people’s feelings, and a disregard for their sacrifices and steadfast positions that reject the US recognition of the city as the capital of Israel.”

The spokesman for Hamas asserted that “the meeting is an attempt to disrupt the state of national consensus so as to expel the Israeli entity, stop recognising it and face its plans.”

He called for “severing all forms of relationship and communication with the Israeli occupation from any party.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Palestinian Labour Ministry announced that the meeting, which was held between Abu Shahla and Kats, was arranged by the German side and attended by the two Berlin ambassadors in both countries.

Hamas: Israel is the main cause of Gaza’s suffering

In a statement the ministry explained, “the meeting was held within the framework of claiming the financial rights of our workers inside the 48 accumulated territories since 1970, which amounted to about 10 billion dollars, and that the Israeli side pledged to the German side to seriously look into this matter.”

The Israeli Channel 7 said that Abu Shahla called on his Israeli counterpart to improve the working conditions of 150,000 Palestinian workers who come to work in Israel. He talked about the difficulties the workers face at the crossings, the lack of suitable contracts with contractors and the unofficial work permits that lead to the exploitation of workers.

However, the Israeli minister has stipulated, as a first step for cooperation, returning two dead bodies of two Israeli soldiers seized by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the same source.

The Israeli government announced the loss of two dead bodies of two soldiers, Shaul Aaron and Hadar Goldin, in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli war, which started on 8 July, 2014 and ended on 26 August 26 of the same year.

In April 2016, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced the captivation of four Israeli soldiers, without disclosing their health conditions or identity, expect for the soldier Shaul Aaron. Actually, the Brigades’ spokesman Abu Ubaida revealed his captivation on 20 July, 2014, during the resistance of Al-Qassam’s combatants of the Israeli army’s ground incursion into the east of Gaza City.