Chief of Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that his movement would not recognise the outcomes of the ongoing Palestinian National Council (PNC) meeting because it does not represent all the Palestinian people and factions.
In a press conference, Haniyeh said: “Day by day, the signs of a deal and conspiracy becomes clearers, which aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause and abort resistance, including popular peaceful resistance represented in the Great March of Return and Break the siege.”
“The dangers of the deal reinforce the importance of the Palestinian unity,” he said, noting that “this pushed Hamas to seek Palestinian unity through discussions with Fatah.”
He added: “Hamas has been eager to hold a unity PNC meeting throughout discussing the issue with all the Palestinian factions. Unfortunately, we could not achieve this goal due to the monopolisation of the Palestinian decision by a certain team.
“Therefore, Hamas reiterates that any PNC meeting that does not unite the Palestinians does not also express the Palestinian will and national programme.”
Doubtful aims
Haniyeh doubted the aims behind the PLO, Fatah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ insistence to hold the PNC meeting without the Palestinian agreement.
“Abbas’ insistence to go ahead in this PNC meeting reflects that there is an intentional plan prepared to undermine the Palestinian cause based on a certain basis, not based on a response to a certain situation here or there,” referring to the failed attempt to assassinate Rami Hamadallah in Gaza last month.
“This is a clear attempt by Abbas to gain a fake legitimacy through the PNC meeting,” he said. “The Israeli facilitations made for the PNC meeting and afforded for the PNC members to attend it prove this.”
He stressed that this “proves that the PNC meeting is related to the suspicious plans prepared to target the Palestinian interests,” referring to the American ‘Deal of the Century.’
The Hamas chief hailed the Palestinian figures and factions “who responsibly rejected to take part in the PNC meeting.”
PLO is home for all Palestinians
Meanwhile, he stressed that the “PLO is a home for all the Palestinians, but if it represented all the of them.” However, he stressed, “when it is not so, it is a tool in the hands of certain team… This team insists on the failed talks, security cooperation and the fight against even popular resistance.”
He continued: “This team has described the military resistance as gambling and adventure. Now, they are describing the popular peaceful resistance as gambling and adventure. So that, what kind of resistance they believe through which we regain our rights.”
Regarding the Palestinian Authority, he said: “If the Palestinian Authority continued to ignore the demands of the Palestinians, it would find itself in a certain pathway that is different from that of the Palestinians.”
Hamas to take action
To protect the Palestinian cause, Haniyeh said: “Hamas will not remain watching. It will work to reform the Palestinian situation. We must agree today, not tomorrow. We must reach an agreement that put all the Palestinians on the right track.
“The prime strategy is to drop Trump’s deal, disengagement of the security partnership with the occupation, unleash the hands of the Palestinians in the West Bank to strive against the Deal of the Century, strive for the right to return and protect Jerusalem, including the Islamic and Christian sites.”
He also said that “stopping the PA siege on Gaza, lunching a comprehensive Palestinian dialogue against Trump and Netanyahu’s plans, stressing that the Palestinians are the owner of the decision on this land,” should also be part of the prime strategy to reform the Palestinian situation.
“Therefore,” he said, “our decision is to continue with the Great March of Return and expand it to the West Bank. We will protect it as it revived the Palestinian rights.”
He added: “Hamas will not stop at rejecting the PNC’s meeting. Hamas is to take clear stances to protect the Palestinian cause, the Palestinians’ interests and their representatives in cooperation with the other Palestinian people and factions.
“Hamas will reconsider its relations with the PLO, which started in the 1990s, in order to protect the Palestinian institutions. The PLO does not accept political partner. If it continued this way, it would lose its legitimacy.”
Previous decisions
Haniyeh stressed that if the PNC had good resolutions, but they would remain useless because they would remain in the drawers.
“If we suggested that the PNC meeting had some good outcomes, but there is no credibility for these outcomes as there is nothing to take effect on the ground as what happened with the outcomes of the PLO’s Executive Committee and the Central Council meetings in the past, mainly regarding the security cooperation with the Israeli occupation and the former agreements.”
He asked: “How can we trust a team who is depriving the Palestinians in Gaza from their basic rights, cutting their salaries, depriving them from healthcare and treatment and food?”
As an immediate solution for the ongoing situation, Hamas calls for comprehensive elections, presidential and PLC and PNC elections.
