Hamas deputy chief denies secret negotiations with Israel

Deputy head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, Saleh Al-Arouri, yesterday denied holding secret talks or negotiations with Israel either directly or indirectly.

Speaking to a number of Hamas supporters at Birzeit University in the West Bank ahead of the annual student council elections, Al-Arouri said that secret negotiations are not part of the movement’s ethics, stressing that Hamas will not accept any solution that recognises the “Israeli occupation”.

“Hamas is the real wall in front of the ‘deal of the century’, and it will not pass through us at any cost,” he added in reference to the US peace deal which is thought to be expected to pass through in the coming months. Al-Arouri said a truce in Gaza Strip is not a peace agreement but aims to restore some of the Palestinians’ right to live a decent life.

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Al-Arouri warned that Jerusalem is under the threat of a global Zionist conspiracy aimed at Judaising it, adding that the city needs a national Islamic and Christian stand to defend it in the face of conspiracies.

“The most serious issue for our people now is the ‘deal of the century’ which the US administration is trying to impose with the support of some Arab countries,” Al-Arouri said, adding that the issue of the Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons is a top priority for Hamas in its talks with the Egyptian delegation.