Saturday 7 May 2011

Mishaal: reconciliation requirements must be implemented immediately

[ 06/05/2011 - 05:39 PM ]

CAIRO, (PIC)-- Khaled Mishaal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, said on Thursday that obligations of the Palestinian reconciliation must be implemented on the ground immediately, stressing that all parties involved have the good will to do so.

In an interview with the PIC, Mishaal pointed out that both Hamas and Fatah leaderships have met and put a timetable for the practical steps that must be taken including the release of all political detainees, the interim leadership framework of all Palestinian factions, and the formation of the new Palestinian government among other files.

When asked about people’s fears that the latest agreement might fall apart, Mishaal replied that the Palestinian people have suffered a lot and waited for a long time to reach this great moment, and thus their worry is justified, but added that Palestinian factions will seek to overcome such fears through practical steps on the ground that everyone is keen to expedite.

As far as the expected time needed to achieve what had been agreed upon among the Palestinian factions, Mishaal said: "We need some time to achieve this, but with the strong determination we have, we pray to Allah that we would overcome a number of obstacles in this regard".

When asked on the "price" that Hamas was willing to pay for the sake of achieving the reconciliation, Mishaal explained that Hamas and Fatah have signed the Egyptian paper in addition to a memorandum of understanding in parallel with that paper that would be the reference for implementing the agreement.

However, he clarified that the price was attached to the details of the agreement that might produce a little difference in opinions among the two Movements, stressing that Hamas has decided to go as far as it could to overcome any misunderstanding.

Mishaal also explained that both Hamas and Fatah should sit together to discuss ways and means on how to move on the political level and all other levels including the management of the resistance and struggle with the Israeli occupation, the popular struggle and the PLO leadership.

Moreover, Mishaal hailed the Palestinian people for contributing strongly to achieve the reconciliation through the demonstrations they held demanding the end of political rift in the Palestinian arena.

"They (demonstrators) chanted we demand an end to political division, but we need them also to chant we demand an end to occupation, we demand an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, we demand [a liberated] Jerusalem and the right of return, and we demand an end to security coordination with the occupation," Mishaal underlined.

Haneyya calls for an honest implementation of reconciliation

[ 06/05/2011 - 04:22 PM ]
GAZA, (PIC)-- Ismael Haneyya, the Palestinian prime minister, said on Thursday that the Palestinian reconciliation wasn’t a surprising event, but rather a reflection of the Palestinian people's aspirations.

"We all went [to Cairo] to achieve national reconciliation because we all felt the dangers that engulf the Palestinian issue, Jerusalem, the aqsa Mosque, holy shrines, the land, and the Palestinian identity," Haneyya stressed in a speech he made in Gaza after the signing of the agreement in Cairo.

He explained that the agreement calls for the formation of a new Palestinian government, the release of all political detainees, the formation of a supreme security committee, and the formation of a committee and a court to supervise the elections among other terms, asserting that the release of all political detainees was an essential factor to build bridges of trust between the two biggest Palestinian factions.

Haneyya also announced that he won't be the prime minister of the next Palestinian government, calling on both Movements to honestly implement the reconciliation agreement in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, urging Arab "brothers" to extend all the help needed by the Palestinian people to foil any external attempt aiming at aborting the reconciliation.

Moreover, Haneyya urged the Palestinian people to forgive each other and to give the spirit of forgiveness more space in their hearts and minds, inviting the Arab and Muslim Ummah to back Egypt's efforts in sponsoring and overseeing implementation of the agreement.

"We must bite on and cure our wounds for the sake of the unity of our people" Haneyya underlined in his speech, adding that the reconciliation was indeed a reflection of the aspirations of the Palestinian people, and a victory to the will of unity based on healthy basis.

Furthermore, Haneyya underscored that all changes that took place and still are taking place in the region were in favor of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, emphasizing that the future is for the Palestinian people and not for the occupation.

As far as the Israeli threats to foil the reconciliation, Haneyya stressed that his government doesn’t fear those threats, and that it will do everything to protect the Palestinian people and to ensure that resistance against the occupation would persist till the liberation of Palestine.

Moreover, Haneyya said that the Israeli siege on Gaza would ultimately collapse on the strong rock of Palestinian joint action, explaining that his government and the Palestinian people confronted a three-pronged Israeli scheme including the war on Gaza, the political war, and the five-year old economic siege on the Strip.

Haneyya confirmed that the issue of the Palestinian captives in Israeli jails would remain on top of the Palestinian resistance and diplomatic action till they return safely to their families, vowing that Hamas and the Palestinian government in Gaza will never sell their political stands.

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