31 dec 2014
Israel's government summoned the French ambassador on Wednesday over his country's support for a failed Palestinian bid to pass a UN resolution setting an end date for Israeli occupation.
Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP that the ambassador, Patrick Maisonnave, was being summoned to the ministry in Jerusalem later in the day.
France along with China and Russia were among the eight countries which voted in favor of the text on Tuesday, but the resolution fell short of winning the nine "yes" votes necessary for adoption within the 15-member Security Council.
Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told AFP that the ambassador, Patrick Maisonnave, was being summoned to the ministry in Jerusalem later in the day.
France along with China and Russia were among the eight countries which voted in favor of the text on Tuesday, but the resolution fell short of winning the nine "yes" votes necessary for adoption within the 15-member Security Council.
The U.S. on Tuesday encouraged Turkey to work with Hamas to “reduce tensions” between Palestinians and Israelis following a recent visit to Turkey by Hamas leader Khaled Meshal. “We have urged the government of Turkey to press Hamas to reduce tensions and prevent violence,” said Jeff Rathke, State Department spokesman. “We raise this at senior levels with our Turkish counterparts,” he added.
“We continue to raise our concerns about the relationship between Hamas and Turkey with senior Turkish officials, including after learning of Khaled Mashal's recent visit there,”
Meshal paid a surprise visit to attend Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s 5th annual assembly in the central Anatolian city of Konya, the birth place of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Hamas leader spoke to thousands of visitors during the meeting where he equated strength in Turkey to strength in Palestine.
“A strong Konya means strong Turkey and which equals to strong Jerusalem and Palestine,” he said.
“We continue to raise our concerns about the relationship between Hamas and Turkey with senior Turkish officials, including after learning of Khaled Mashal's recent visit there,”
Meshal paid a surprise visit to attend Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s 5th annual assembly in the central Anatolian city of Konya, the birth place of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Hamas leader spoke to thousands of visitors during the meeting where he equated strength in Turkey to strength in Palestine.
“A strong Konya means strong Turkey and which equals to strong Jerusalem and Palestine,” he said.
By Mohammad Makram
Driving through Kuala Lumpur’s modern suburb of Bangser with its modern skyscrapers, heavy traffic, well-maintained streets and colorful billboards, is an extraordinary experience to Sharif.
His old Korean car moves heavily towards the most renowned and scientifically acknowledged university in Malaysia, University Malaya. Mixed emotions seize him; he comes from a completely different place, where bumpy narrow roads, and poor neighborhoods are the norm.
He battles his longing to his family and friends in Al-Zeitoon neighborhood in Gaza city, his memories in the corridors of Gaza Islamic University, where he used to be a lecturer, and his active role as a student and political activist, and marvels at this beautiful remote country of Malaysia which offers him what nobody else offered him, safety from Israeli air raids, a university admission, and above all a visa.
There is a central idea that haunts him and controls all his action, “I must finish my PhD as soon as possible and go back to Gaza”. His first impression when he entered UM (University Malaya), might have been, how big it is. It is as big as the whole of Gaza Strip, where about 2 million Palestinians are cramped in merely 360 km2.
He feels so proud of being a student here, he keeps telling his friends, over Skype, back home that UM ranks 167 in World University Rankings 2013 index, and it is a privilege to study in this university which was established in 1949, “Even the former Malaysian prime minister was a student here”, he stresses.
The car shuffles to a hill top where the Academy of Islamic Studies is situated. Among tall trees and blooming flowers lays a block of few buildings and in the center a small mosque. In the building behind the mosque Sharif takes the stairs to the second floor.
He enters the Department of Islamic History and Civilization. A chubby middle-aged man with a smiling face meets him warmly and asks “where have you been lately?” Sharif replies with a big smile, “I was preparing Besbooseh for you, I know you like Arabic food”. Dr. Faisal the head of department giggles and says, “Yes, especially Besbooseh. Be careful, if you fail to bring it next time nobody knows what would happen to your PhD”.
Sharif then enters in a short discussion with Dr. Faisal about his thesis and suggests helping him in translating a book about the history of Palestine from Arabic to the local language, Bahasa Malaysia, and Prof. Faisal agrees, “But that has to wait after the exams.”
It was a mystery to many, especially Sharif’s father, why an architect like him chooses to leave his field of study and continue his higher studies in history. Sharif says with his usual smile “somebody has to do it, and I am that somebody”.
He always thought that the Zionist Movement could only occupy Palestine after convincing the Western Imperial powers with its fabricated story of the Jews historical right to the land of Palestine.
Sharif is shocked over how little research and writing made by Arabs and Muslims on the topic, he complains that “research on al-Quds is so scarce and hard to get. Most of the available material is by Israeli or pro-Israeli scholars. It is really a shame.”
Dr. Tariq Leajal, is Sharif’s supervisor, he is from Algeria, it is not a mere coincidence that a Palestinian student is supervised by an Algerian professor, for their psychological makeup is so close, being both the victims of long and ruthless occupations.
Sharif, who is writing his thesis on the early Islamic effect on the architecture of al-Quds, has found a perfect match in Dr. Tariq. Sharif’s main hurdle is how to get resources on al-Quds. He wishes to visit Amman to use University of Jordan’s vast reference section on al-Quds in its library, but he is so worried that he might not get a permission to stay in Amman by the Jordanian authorities, “unfortunately, all those who come from Gaza are seen as potential terrorists, these days”, he says painfully.
It is his wish to meet the Engineer Ra’if Najem, the former Jordanian minister of Projects, and the most famous Muslim and Arab authority on the architecture of Masjidul-Aqsa and al-Quds.
He has a company in al-Abdali area in the center of Amman. His office, ArRa’i al-Arabi, is a famous construction and consultant company, although he himself has become so advance in age (born in 1926 in Nazareth in northern Palestine) so his working hours are short.
In his office lays all the plans and schemes of reconstruction and rehabilitating the holy shrines in al-Quds. It is he who administered and supervised all the construction works in that holy place which is under the Jordanian jurisdiction since the first part of the last century.
After the declaration of the State of Israel, Israel occupied the western part of Jerusalem and the eastern part came under the Jordanian authorities. In those days Najim dedicated his life for the welfare of al-Quds.
In 1969 Australian citizen, Denis Michael Rohan, set the mosque on fire and caused a lot of damage to its historical structure. According to Wikipedia, “Rohan, a Christian, stated that he considered himself "the Lord's emissary" and that he tried to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque acting upon divine instructions to enable the Jews of Israel to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount in accordance with the Book of Zechariah, thereby hastening the second coming of Jesus Christ”.
Sharif wastes no time in promoting the cause of al-Quds. He works in a local NGO, Yayasan al-Quds Malaysia, among his duties is to feed the Facebook page of the foundation and its website with information and news from al-Quds.
Because of the six hours difference in time, he stays up late at night to chat with his friends from Palestine to get the latest developments. All the painful incidents of Israelis intruding into Masjidul-aqsa and the authorities preventing Muslims from praying there appear next morning either on the Foundation web page or written on the pages of different websites.
He insists, “...we have to rewrite Palestine’s history. It is our duty to tell the world the real story... our story against their story... it a war of stories at first place...”. Sharif rejects much information from Islamic source, to him his story should be based on authenticity not fantasies and dreams. He stresses the role of the Romans in building the city of al-Quds, and criticizes those Muslims who in the wake of emphasizing the Ottoman role in renovating the holy city neglects the Roman effect, according to him, “although al-Quds is an Islamic city, nobody has the right to monopolize the history of this holy city and marginalize others”. In his lectures, he shocks his Malaysian audience when he talks about the current situation in al-Quds and the Israeli attempts to Juadaize the city and its grand mosque, Masjidul-aqsa.
In his last visit to The National Service Institution, in Kuala Lumpur, he came out with very positive impression on how Malaysia received and supported the cause of Palestine and al-Quds in particular, hundreds of army cadets sat down to listen to the latest developments of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the tears in their eyes, this gave Sharif a feeling of reassurance that his family members who are still there under the Israeli air raids are not left alone.
It takes a lot of courage to face the new Israeli aggression on Gaza where Sharif left his extended family face the air raids, gunboats shelling, Merkava tanks bombings and Howitzer cannons bringing everything to the ground.
Benjamin Netanyahu sent about 85,000 Israeli troops to this small enclave called Gaza to avenge the disappearance of three settlers in the West Bank in the end of last June. He wanted to punish and dismantle Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine) which ruled the Gaza Strip after it won fair parliamentary elections in 2006, although the movement denied any involvement in their disappearance and Israel could not prove anything in this regard.
Israel covered by regional and Western support, acted with impunity knowing it was never held accountable for it past atrocities. Sharif’s brother in law was killed; he was in his twenties and left a 21-year-old widow and two little children.
At least five of Sharif’s friends studying in Malaysia lost some of their family members; one of them is Fadi Al-Batsh. Fadi lost 20 people, another friend Ahid lost his brother and four of his cousins. Rif’at lost two, Fayez lost his nephew and Wael lost his house.
Sharif could not sleep for a whole month, in which Gaza was under Israeli aggression. Finally, on Monday, a ceasefire was declared. The result is, over 2000 Palestinian were killed, many of the women and children, about 7000 people injured including many with permanent disabilities, about 9000 homes destroyed, many schools, mosques, hospitals and the only electricity plant were completely damaged, and most importantly, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is still closed.
Sharif comments with bitterness, “The situation in Gaza is utterly horrible, no medicine, no electricity, no water, no telecommunications, no schools, no hospitals, they have even destroyed trees. I do not even know what happened to my family and friends”.
Although Sharif expresses his sadness over the tragic loss due to the Israeli aggression, he feels happy because he is well acquainted with Malaysian efforts to ease the plight of his family and friends. Yet, Sharif has set out promoting a coalition of 26 NGOs called “Save al-Quds Global Campaign”, and keeps stressing an un-debatable fact to him, al-Quds is the core of the Palestinian tragedy.
Driving through Kuala Lumpur’s modern suburb of Bangser with its modern skyscrapers, heavy traffic, well-maintained streets and colorful billboards, is an extraordinary experience to Sharif.
His old Korean car moves heavily towards the most renowned and scientifically acknowledged university in Malaysia, University Malaya. Mixed emotions seize him; he comes from a completely different place, where bumpy narrow roads, and poor neighborhoods are the norm.
He battles his longing to his family and friends in Al-Zeitoon neighborhood in Gaza city, his memories in the corridors of Gaza Islamic University, where he used to be a lecturer, and his active role as a student and political activist, and marvels at this beautiful remote country of Malaysia which offers him what nobody else offered him, safety from Israeli air raids, a university admission, and above all a visa.
There is a central idea that haunts him and controls all his action, “I must finish my PhD as soon as possible and go back to Gaza”. His first impression when he entered UM (University Malaya), might have been, how big it is. It is as big as the whole of Gaza Strip, where about 2 million Palestinians are cramped in merely 360 km2.
He feels so proud of being a student here, he keeps telling his friends, over Skype, back home that UM ranks 167 in World University Rankings 2013 index, and it is a privilege to study in this university which was established in 1949, “Even the former Malaysian prime minister was a student here”, he stresses.
The car shuffles to a hill top where the Academy of Islamic Studies is situated. Among tall trees and blooming flowers lays a block of few buildings and in the center a small mosque. In the building behind the mosque Sharif takes the stairs to the second floor.
He enters the Department of Islamic History and Civilization. A chubby middle-aged man with a smiling face meets him warmly and asks “where have you been lately?” Sharif replies with a big smile, “I was preparing Besbooseh for you, I know you like Arabic food”. Dr. Faisal the head of department giggles and says, “Yes, especially Besbooseh. Be careful, if you fail to bring it next time nobody knows what would happen to your PhD”.
Sharif then enters in a short discussion with Dr. Faisal about his thesis and suggests helping him in translating a book about the history of Palestine from Arabic to the local language, Bahasa Malaysia, and Prof. Faisal agrees, “But that has to wait after the exams.”
It was a mystery to many, especially Sharif’s father, why an architect like him chooses to leave his field of study and continue his higher studies in history. Sharif says with his usual smile “somebody has to do it, and I am that somebody”.
He always thought that the Zionist Movement could only occupy Palestine after convincing the Western Imperial powers with its fabricated story of the Jews historical right to the land of Palestine.
Sharif is shocked over how little research and writing made by Arabs and Muslims on the topic, he complains that “research on al-Quds is so scarce and hard to get. Most of the available material is by Israeli or pro-Israeli scholars. It is really a shame.”
Dr. Tariq Leajal, is Sharif’s supervisor, he is from Algeria, it is not a mere coincidence that a Palestinian student is supervised by an Algerian professor, for their psychological makeup is so close, being both the victims of long and ruthless occupations.
Sharif, who is writing his thesis on the early Islamic effect on the architecture of al-Quds, has found a perfect match in Dr. Tariq. Sharif’s main hurdle is how to get resources on al-Quds. He wishes to visit Amman to use University of Jordan’s vast reference section on al-Quds in its library, but he is so worried that he might not get a permission to stay in Amman by the Jordanian authorities, “unfortunately, all those who come from Gaza are seen as potential terrorists, these days”, he says painfully.
It is his wish to meet the Engineer Ra’if Najem, the former Jordanian minister of Projects, and the most famous Muslim and Arab authority on the architecture of Masjidul-Aqsa and al-Quds.
He has a company in al-Abdali area in the center of Amman. His office, ArRa’i al-Arabi, is a famous construction and consultant company, although he himself has become so advance in age (born in 1926 in Nazareth in northern Palestine) so his working hours are short.
In his office lays all the plans and schemes of reconstruction and rehabilitating the holy shrines in al-Quds. It is he who administered and supervised all the construction works in that holy place which is under the Jordanian jurisdiction since the first part of the last century.
After the declaration of the State of Israel, Israel occupied the western part of Jerusalem and the eastern part came under the Jordanian authorities. In those days Najim dedicated his life for the welfare of al-Quds.
In 1969 Australian citizen, Denis Michael Rohan, set the mosque on fire and caused a lot of damage to its historical structure. According to Wikipedia, “Rohan, a Christian, stated that he considered himself "the Lord's emissary" and that he tried to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque acting upon divine instructions to enable the Jews of Israel to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount in accordance with the Book of Zechariah, thereby hastening the second coming of Jesus Christ”.
Sharif wastes no time in promoting the cause of al-Quds. He works in a local NGO, Yayasan al-Quds Malaysia, among his duties is to feed the Facebook page of the foundation and its website with information and news from al-Quds.
Because of the six hours difference in time, he stays up late at night to chat with his friends from Palestine to get the latest developments. All the painful incidents of Israelis intruding into Masjidul-aqsa and the authorities preventing Muslims from praying there appear next morning either on the Foundation web page or written on the pages of different websites.
He insists, “...we have to rewrite Palestine’s history. It is our duty to tell the world the real story... our story against their story... it a war of stories at first place...”. Sharif rejects much information from Islamic source, to him his story should be based on authenticity not fantasies and dreams. He stresses the role of the Romans in building the city of al-Quds, and criticizes those Muslims who in the wake of emphasizing the Ottoman role in renovating the holy city neglects the Roman effect, according to him, “although al-Quds is an Islamic city, nobody has the right to monopolize the history of this holy city and marginalize others”. In his lectures, he shocks his Malaysian audience when he talks about the current situation in al-Quds and the Israeli attempts to Juadaize the city and its grand mosque, Masjidul-aqsa.
In his last visit to The National Service Institution, in Kuala Lumpur, he came out with very positive impression on how Malaysia received and supported the cause of Palestine and al-Quds in particular, hundreds of army cadets sat down to listen to the latest developments of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the tears in their eyes, this gave Sharif a feeling of reassurance that his family members who are still there under the Israeli air raids are not left alone.
It takes a lot of courage to face the new Israeli aggression on Gaza where Sharif left his extended family face the air raids, gunboats shelling, Merkava tanks bombings and Howitzer cannons bringing everything to the ground.
Benjamin Netanyahu sent about 85,000 Israeli troops to this small enclave called Gaza to avenge the disappearance of three settlers in the West Bank in the end of last June. He wanted to punish and dismantle Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine) which ruled the Gaza Strip after it won fair parliamentary elections in 2006, although the movement denied any involvement in their disappearance and Israel could not prove anything in this regard.
Israel covered by regional and Western support, acted with impunity knowing it was never held accountable for it past atrocities. Sharif’s brother in law was killed; he was in his twenties and left a 21-year-old widow and two little children.
At least five of Sharif’s friends studying in Malaysia lost some of their family members; one of them is Fadi Al-Batsh. Fadi lost 20 people, another friend Ahid lost his brother and four of his cousins. Rif’at lost two, Fayez lost his nephew and Wael lost his house.
Sharif could not sleep for a whole month, in which Gaza was under Israeli aggression. Finally, on Monday, a ceasefire was declared. The result is, over 2000 Palestinian were killed, many of the women and children, about 7000 people injured including many with permanent disabilities, about 9000 homes destroyed, many schools, mosques, hospitals and the only electricity plant were completely damaged, and most importantly, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is still closed.
Sharif comments with bitterness, “The situation in Gaza is utterly horrible, no medicine, no electricity, no water, no telecommunications, no schools, no hospitals, they have even destroyed trees. I do not even know what happened to my family and friends”.
Although Sharif expresses his sadness over the tragic loss due to the Israeli aggression, he feels happy because he is well acquainted with Malaysian efforts to ease the plight of his family and friends. Yet, Sharif has set out promoting a coalition of 26 NGOs called “Save al-Quds Global Campaign”, and keeps stressing an un-debatable fact to him, al-Quds is the core of the Palestinian tragedy.
Hamas Movement said Wednesday that the UN Security Council's rejection of a Palestinian resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation is a new failure for the settlement project.
The Movement called on the PA to stop tampering with such fateful issues and waiving Palestinian rights.
"We are still waiting for the implementation of PA threats to stop security coordination with Israel", the spokesman for the Movement Sami Abu Zuhri said.
The UN Security Council has rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories by 2017. The US, Israel's closest ally, voted down the draft resolution.
The Movement called on the PA to stop tampering with such fateful issues and waiving Palestinian rights.
"We are still waiting for the implementation of PA threats to stop security coordination with Israel", the spokesman for the Movement Sami Abu Zuhri said.
The UN Security Council has rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories by 2017. The US, Israel's closest ally, voted down the draft resolution.
The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc considered the Palestinian unity government’s recent decisions concerning the unpaid employees as a coup against the reconciliation agreement.
The parliamentary bloc, affiliated with Hamas Movement, called on the unity government to be a real consensus government and not to reinforce division, and to bear its responsibilities towards all the Palestinian people.
The Change and Reform bloc held Fatah faction responsible for blocking reconciliation and the government work.
Earlier Tuesday, the spokesman of the national consensus government Ihab Bseiso said in a news conference that the unity government would start working on solving the employees' issue by reinstating all Palestinian Authority government employees, who did not report to work in Gaza during the past few years of division at the request of the Ramallah government, and then try to recruit the employees who worked for Hamas government after 2007 to fill the vacancies left by the refraining civil servants.
In its turn, Hamas Movement considered the national consensus government's decisions regarding Gaza employees as a violation of the reconciliation agreement.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the decisions reflected the government’s disregard to the Palestinian reconciliation.
Abu Zuhri called on the unity government to commit with the reconciliation agreement and to stop its discrimination policy against Gaza employees.
During West Bank ministers' visit to the Gaza Strip, hundreds of employees protested in front of the Council of Ministers headquarters where the unity government was holding a cabinet meeting in Gaza.
The protesters were holding banners demanding the unity government to pay the backlogged salaries of Gaza civil servants over the past seven months.
For its part, Gaza's public employees union declared a general strike on Wednesday in all governmental institutions and ministers in protest against Bseiso's statements.
In its statement issued Tuesday, the union declared its total rejection of the consensus government's "irresponsible decisions" regarding Gaza employees.
"Such decisions would perpetuate racism and discrimination among the people of the same nation."
The parliamentary bloc, affiliated with Hamas Movement, called on the unity government to be a real consensus government and not to reinforce division, and to bear its responsibilities towards all the Palestinian people.
The Change and Reform bloc held Fatah faction responsible for blocking reconciliation and the government work.
Earlier Tuesday, the spokesman of the national consensus government Ihab Bseiso said in a news conference that the unity government would start working on solving the employees' issue by reinstating all Palestinian Authority government employees, who did not report to work in Gaza during the past few years of division at the request of the Ramallah government, and then try to recruit the employees who worked for Hamas government after 2007 to fill the vacancies left by the refraining civil servants.
In its turn, Hamas Movement considered the national consensus government's decisions regarding Gaza employees as a violation of the reconciliation agreement.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the decisions reflected the government’s disregard to the Palestinian reconciliation.
Abu Zuhri called on the unity government to commit with the reconciliation agreement and to stop its discrimination policy against Gaza employees.
During West Bank ministers' visit to the Gaza Strip, hundreds of employees protested in front of the Council of Ministers headquarters where the unity government was holding a cabinet meeting in Gaza.
The protesters were holding banners demanding the unity government to pay the backlogged salaries of Gaza civil servants over the past seven months.
For its part, Gaza's public employees union declared a general strike on Wednesday in all governmental institutions and ministers in protest against Bseiso's statements.
In its statement issued Tuesday, the union declared its total rejection of the consensus government's "irresponsible decisions" regarding Gaza employees.
"Such decisions would perpetuate racism and discrimination among the people of the same nation."
Australia joined the United States in voting against a resolution calling for "a just, lasting and comprehensive peaceful solution" within the next year for Israel and Palestine, and affirming Palestinian national sovereignty. The resolution received eight 'yes' votes and two 'no' votes - leaving it just one vote short of the nine votes necessary to pass the 15-member UN Security Council.
Even if the resolution had managed the pass the Security Council, the U.S. had vowed to use its veto power to stop the resolution from moving forward. But with Australia and the U.S. voting against the measure, and five states abstaining from the vote, the measure did not pass and therefore no veto was necessary.
The resolution was brought to the Security Council by a coalition of 22 Arab states, all of whom supported and approved the measure. Jordan, which borders the Occupied West Bank on the east, pushed for Tuesday's vote on the resolution at the UN Security Council meeting in New York.
Palestine has no voting representative in the United Nations, only a non-voting observer. But a number of UN Agencies have, in recent years, recognized the sovereignty of Palestine. The U.S., which has veto power in the UN Security Council, and Israel, which militarily occupies all of Palestine, do not recognize Palestinian sovereignty, and have repeatedly attempted to force the Palestinians to accept the permanent occupation of their land by the Israeli military.
The resolution proposed at the UN Security Council on Tuesday called for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories within two years, a peace agreement with just terms for lasting peace to be established within one year, and called for a just resolution on all outstanding issues - including the status of Jerusalem, control of water resources, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Nigeria, which had been expected to vote 'yes' on the resolution, decided to abstain at the last moment - probably under pressure from the U.S. This abstention led to the measure's failure at the Security Council.
The United States had strongly criticized the resolution, with one US State Department spokesperson saying that the resolution "sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion."
Palestinian delegates and negotiators, however, have argued that the time has long since passed for a United Nations resolution with a clear timeline for Israeli withdrawal. They point out that with each day that passes, Israel takes over more and more Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and moves more and more of its civilian population into this unceded territory taken by force from the indigenous population by an occupying army in direct violation of international law.
They have vowed to continue the effort to bring an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and called on UN member states to be part of the solution.
Even if the resolution had managed the pass the Security Council, the U.S. had vowed to use its veto power to stop the resolution from moving forward. But with Australia and the U.S. voting against the measure, and five states abstaining from the vote, the measure did not pass and therefore no veto was necessary.
The resolution was brought to the Security Council by a coalition of 22 Arab states, all of whom supported and approved the measure. Jordan, which borders the Occupied West Bank on the east, pushed for Tuesday's vote on the resolution at the UN Security Council meeting in New York.
Palestine has no voting representative in the United Nations, only a non-voting observer. But a number of UN Agencies have, in recent years, recognized the sovereignty of Palestine. The U.S., which has veto power in the UN Security Council, and Israel, which militarily occupies all of Palestine, do not recognize Palestinian sovereignty, and have repeatedly attempted to force the Palestinians to accept the permanent occupation of their land by the Israeli military.
The resolution proposed at the UN Security Council on Tuesday called for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories within two years, a peace agreement with just terms for lasting peace to be established within one year, and called for a just resolution on all outstanding issues - including the status of Jerusalem, control of water resources, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Nigeria, which had been expected to vote 'yes' on the resolution, decided to abstain at the last moment - probably under pressure from the U.S. This abstention led to the measure's failure at the Security Council.
The United States had strongly criticized the resolution, with one US State Department spokesperson saying that the resolution "sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, and those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion."
Palestinian delegates and negotiators, however, have argued that the time has long since passed for a United Nations resolution with a clear timeline for Israeli withdrawal. They point out that with each day that passes, Israel takes over more and more Palestinian territory in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and moves more and more of its civilian population into this unceded territory taken by force from the indigenous population by an occupying army in direct violation of international law.
They have vowed to continue the effort to bring an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and called on UN member states to be part of the solution.
Six Palestinian national and Islamic factions declared total rejection of the Palestinian-proposed draft resolution that was submitted to the UN Security Council.
The six factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, DFLP, Saiqa, and the General Command rejected in a joint statement the Palestinian UN draft resolution to end Israeli occupation because it ignores Palestinian rights and constants including the right of return, prisoners, Jerusalem, and border issues.
The draft resolution proposes a deadline for an end to the Israeli occupation and in the meantime it paves the way for talks resumption under U.S. auspices, according to the statement.
The factions renewed their adherence to the UN resolution 194 that confirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
The joint statement also stressed the Palestinian right to resist occupation by all possible means.
Jerusalem will always remain the capital city of the Palestinian people, the statement added, calling for uniting all national efforts to face the ongoing challenges topped by lifting the siege on Gaza and its reconstruction.
The six factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, DFLP, Saiqa, and the General Command rejected in a joint statement the Palestinian UN draft resolution to end Israeli occupation because it ignores Palestinian rights and constants including the right of return, prisoners, Jerusalem, and border issues.
The draft resolution proposes a deadline for an end to the Israeli occupation and in the meantime it paves the way for talks resumption under U.S. auspices, according to the statement.
The factions renewed their adherence to the UN resolution 194 that confirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
The joint statement also stressed the Palestinian right to resist occupation by all possible means.
Jerusalem will always remain the capital city of the Palestinian people, the statement added, calling for uniting all national efforts to face the ongoing challenges topped by lifting the siege on Gaza and its reconstruction.
30 dec 2014
Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil said that the success of the government delegation's visit to the Gaza Strip is contingent on the seriousness of president Mahmoud Abbas to execute the reconciliation agreement and his respect for the principle of national partnership.
"The visit of the national consensus government's ministerial delegation cannot be successful without two things, the first one is the seriousness of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas about the reconciliation as well as the elbow room and jurisdiction he has given [the delegation] to execute the reconciliation agreement," Bardawil stated in press remarks to Bayan media center on Monday.
"The second thing relies on how much Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are committed to the concept of national partnership because the reconciliation means partnership in everything without marginalizing the other party and bringing another one in its place," the Hamas official added.
"The remarks that have been made about the handover of crossings and borders on condition that Hamas elements are withdrawn from them do not reflect good faith and only means exclusion and no partnership," he underscored.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority for its insistence on dealing unilaterally with the file of Gaza reconstruction, stressing this issue needs joint national action and partnership and must be dealt with transparently and without selectivity and delay.
"We hope to hear from the visiting delegation during its meetings what will achieve those things and we also hope that this visit would contribute to the reconciliation efforts."
A delegation of eight Palestinian ministers and other government officials arrived on Monday afternoon in Gaza, coming from the West Bank.
"The visit of the national consensus government's ministerial delegation cannot be successful without two things, the first one is the seriousness of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas about the reconciliation as well as the elbow room and jurisdiction he has given [the delegation] to execute the reconciliation agreement," Bardawil stated in press remarks to Bayan media center on Monday.
"The second thing relies on how much Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are committed to the concept of national partnership because the reconciliation means partnership in everything without marginalizing the other party and bringing another one in its place," the Hamas official added.
"The remarks that have been made about the handover of crossings and borders on condition that Hamas elements are withdrawn from them do not reflect good faith and only means exclusion and no partnership," he underscored.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority for its insistence on dealing unilaterally with the file of Gaza reconstruction, stressing this issue needs joint national action and partnership and must be dealt with transparently and without selectivity and delay.
"We hope to hear from the visiting delegation during its meetings what will achieve those things and we also hope that this visit would contribute to the reconciliation efforts."
A delegation of eight Palestinian ministers and other government officials arrived on Monday afternoon in Gaza, coming from the West Bank.
The modified version of the Palestinian-Arab draft resolution that was resubmitted by Jordan on Monday and would be put to a vote on Tuesday included major changes, according to Anadolu news agency.
The final draft of the resolution includes amendments to the original one filed by Jordan on December 17 regarding issues of political prisoners, illegal settlements, the segregation wall and the status of Jerusalem.
It calls for setting the end of 2017 as the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
The revised resolution demands an end to Israeli settlement and wall building and calls for just solutions to the issues of Palestinian refugees, prisoners and water resources.
The new text also calls for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine within the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital in the presence of security arrangements. The earlier draft mentioned Jerusalem as a shared capital.
However, most of the changes endorsed by the Arab UN delegations on Monday are semantic, such as the word "just" that was added to "a solution" for the issues of Palestinian refugees, prisoners and water. The earlier draft used the term "agreed solution."
The final draft of the resolution includes amendments to the original one filed by Jordan on December 17 regarding issues of political prisoners, illegal settlements, the segregation wall and the status of Jerusalem.
It calls for setting the end of 2017 as the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
The revised resolution demands an end to Israeli settlement and wall building and calls for just solutions to the issues of Palestinian refugees, prisoners and water resources.
The new text also calls for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine within the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital in the presence of security arrangements. The earlier draft mentioned Jerusalem as a shared capital.
However, most of the changes endorsed by the Arab UN delegations on Monday are semantic, such as the word "just" that was added to "a solution" for the issues of Palestinian refugees, prisoners and water. The earlier draft used the term "agreed solution."
The Supreme Muslim Council (SMC) in occupied Jerusalem expressed Monday regret that the Palestinian-proposed draft resolution was not revealed to the Palestinian people before being submitted to the UN Security Council.
The SMC pointed out in a press release that leaked press statements confirmed that the final draft of the Palestinian resolution referred to the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem as a city shared between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The statement strongly condemned the PA’s disregard to the Palestinian people and Jerusalemites in particular after it did not reveal the final draft resolution’s details before being submitted to the UN Security Council.
If the media reports are true, Jerusalem would become a prey in the hands of occupation especially that the number of Jews is much higher than that of the native Jerusalemites in the occupied city, the statement said.
“How can we determine the 1967 borders as long as the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem is to be shared between Israelis and Palestinians?”
“We in the Supreme Muslim Council in occupied Jerusalem declare our total rejection of the final draft resolution to be submitted to the UN Security Council.”
The SMC pointed out in a press release that leaked press statements confirmed that the final draft of the Palestinian resolution referred to the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem as a city shared between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The statement strongly condemned the PA’s disregard to the Palestinian people and Jerusalemites in particular after it did not reveal the final draft resolution’s details before being submitted to the UN Security Council.
If the media reports are true, Jerusalem would become a prey in the hands of occupation especially that the number of Jews is much higher than that of the native Jerusalemites in the occupied city, the statement said.
“How can we determine the 1967 borders as long as the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem is to be shared between Israelis and Palestinians?”
“We in the Supreme Muslim Council in occupied Jerusalem declare our total rejection of the final draft resolution to be submitted to the UN Security Council.”
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haneyya condemned the Palestinian Authority's security coordination with the Israeli occupation as "a dagger in the chest of the resistance," and said it blocks the outbreak of a third intifada (uprising) in the West Bank.
"The security coordination with the Zionist occupation must be stopped, and the resistance must be protected…The settlement process failed and the Palestinian people do not need frivolous negotiations," Haneyya stated during his meeting with several Arab satellite channels on Monday evening.
Commenting on the Palestinian-Arab draft resolution on Palestine, the Hamas official said that the statehood bid that had been submitted to the UN Security Council goes against the Palestinian people's rights and contained overtones of readiness to waive the right of return.
He called for developing a new national strategy to protect the resistance and the national constants.
As for the national reconciliation, he said that his Movement always backs the national unity, although it reached a critical juncture because of the failure of the unity government to assume its responsibilities in Gaza away from any partisan considerations.
"The government has to work on ending the blockade, consider the suffering of Gaza, and prepare for the elections," he underlined.
"The unity government deals with the Gaza Strip selectively, and I am not optimistic that the current visit (by the government delegation) will be able to address the real problems in the Strip. Abu Mazen has to issue an edict calling for necessarily executing all what has been agreed upon, and we will not allow Gaza to be cut off from the Palestinian project."
Pertaining to the issue of captive Israeli soldiers in Gaza, Haneyya said he had no information other than what had already been announced by al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas in this regard.
"The security coordination with the Zionist occupation must be stopped, and the resistance must be protected…The settlement process failed and the Palestinian people do not need frivolous negotiations," Haneyya stated during his meeting with several Arab satellite channels on Monday evening.
Commenting on the Palestinian-Arab draft resolution on Palestine, the Hamas official said that the statehood bid that had been submitted to the UN Security Council goes against the Palestinian people's rights and contained overtones of readiness to waive the right of return.
He called for developing a new national strategy to protect the resistance and the national constants.
As for the national reconciliation, he said that his Movement always backs the national unity, although it reached a critical juncture because of the failure of the unity government to assume its responsibilities in Gaza away from any partisan considerations.
"The government has to work on ending the blockade, consider the suffering of Gaza, and prepare for the elections," he underlined.
"The unity government deals with the Gaza Strip selectively, and I am not optimistic that the current visit (by the government delegation) will be able to address the real problems in the Strip. Abu Mazen has to issue an edict calling for necessarily executing all what has been agreed upon, and we will not allow Gaza to be cut off from the Palestinian project."
Pertaining to the issue of captive Israeli soldiers in Gaza, Haneyya said he had no information other than what had already been announced by al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas in this regard.
29 dec 2014
Member of Hamas's political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk said there is a tendency to form a national body to oversee the reconstruction of the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Abu Marzouk made his remarks during a meeting with heads of Palestinian factions and civil society organizations in Gaza City.
Abu Marzouk stressed during the meeting the need for pressuring the unity government to immediately assume its responsibility for Gaza and work on lifting the blockade and reconstructing what had been destroyed by the Israeli war machine.
He affirmed that many Palestinians in Gaza need to know when and how their homes would be rebuilt.
The Hamas official expressed his hope that the intended visit of Palestinian cabinet ministers to Gaza would bring good news for the owners of destroyed homes and property.
He also reiterated his Movement's rejection of the Gaza reconstruction plan that was devised by UN envoy Robert Serry, calling it a humiliation for the Gaza people, who had suffered from Israel's terrorism for 51 days.
Commenting on the Palestinian Authority's statehood bid at the UN, Abu Marzouk said the draft resolution in this regard poses a threat to the Palestinian cause, describing it as a document of concessions on the Palestinian rights and constants.
Abu Marzouk made his remarks during a meeting with heads of Palestinian factions and civil society organizations in Gaza City.
Abu Marzouk stressed during the meeting the need for pressuring the unity government to immediately assume its responsibility for Gaza and work on lifting the blockade and reconstructing what had been destroyed by the Israeli war machine.
He affirmed that many Palestinians in Gaza need to know when and how their homes would be rebuilt.
The Hamas official expressed his hope that the intended visit of Palestinian cabinet ministers to Gaza would bring good news for the owners of destroyed homes and property.
He also reiterated his Movement's rejection of the Gaza reconstruction plan that was devised by UN envoy Robert Serry, calling it a humiliation for the Gaza people, who had suffered from Israel's terrorism for 51 days.
Commenting on the Palestinian Authority's statehood bid at the UN, Abu Marzouk said the draft resolution in this regard poses a threat to the Palestinian cause, describing it as a document of concessions on the Palestinian rights and constants.
Leader in Hamas Movement Salah Bardawil said that no one is entitled to exclude or blackmail his Movement in order to impose settlement projects, stressing that national reconciliation should be based on partnership.
“They want to achieve reconciliation without Hamas, they want to control Gaza Strip without resistance, and this cannot be.”
He added that his Movement wants to transfer steadfastness from Gaza to the West Bank, and not to transfer submissiveness from the West Bank to Gaza.
Bardawil pointed out that there are Palestinian, Israeli, and regional attempts to liquidate resistance in Gaza Strip, saying that Fatah movement’s procrastination in implementing Cairo agreement aims at imposing full control over the besieged Strip including the resistance weapon.
Bardawil revealed that Hamas obtained exclusive reports saying that the PA would not provide anything for the Strip before handing over the resistance weapon.
The leader in Hamas Movement also said that the upcoming visit to the Strip by a number of ministers in the consensus government would achieve nothing new for the unpaid employees’ issue.
Palestinian public sector employees have staged a general strike in Gaza Strip for not being paid over the past six months.
“They want to achieve reconciliation without Hamas, they want to control Gaza Strip without resistance, and this cannot be.”
He added that his Movement wants to transfer steadfastness from Gaza to the West Bank, and not to transfer submissiveness from the West Bank to Gaza.
Bardawil pointed out that there are Palestinian, Israeli, and regional attempts to liquidate resistance in Gaza Strip, saying that Fatah movement’s procrastination in implementing Cairo agreement aims at imposing full control over the besieged Strip including the resistance weapon.
Bardawil revealed that Hamas obtained exclusive reports saying that the PA would not provide anything for the Strip before handing over the resistance weapon.
The leader in Hamas Movement also said that the upcoming visit to the Strip by a number of ministers in the consensus government would achieve nothing new for the unpaid employees’ issue.
Palestinian public sector employees have staged a general strike in Gaza Strip for not being paid over the past six months.
Osama Hamdan, Hamas's foreign relations chief, said the relations between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and Iran are on the right track and are founded upon support for the Palestinian cause.
In an interview with Quds Press, head of Hamas Movement’s foreign affairs Osama Hamdan said a Hamas delegation’s recent visit to Iran contributed to the normalization of ties between the Palestinian group and Tehran.
The firm relations between Hamas and Iran rest upon the same stances the two sides have adopted towards the Palestinian cause and their back up of the anti-Israeli resistance movement, he added.
He said Mishaal’s projected visit to Tehran comes to nurture the seeds of the Iran-Hamas ties.
“Any visit paid by the chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mishaal, to Iran or any other Arab, Islamic or Foreign state that backs up the Palestinian cause is just part of Hamas’s normal course of action,” he underlined.
“Hamas’s relationship with Iran is, and will always be, based on the latter’s constructive stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause and resistance,” he added.
“Hamas has always been on the side of the peoples’ will. We call on everyone to stick up for peoples’ aspirations,” he said.
Hamdan reiterated Hamas’s commitment to a politics of non-interference, saying: “We took it upon ourselves to never meddle in the internal affairs of any state. We respect the will of the people but never stick our nose in their in-house affairs. This has been among Hamas’s strongest foreign relations successes.”
In an interview with Quds Press, head of Hamas Movement’s foreign affairs Osama Hamdan said a Hamas delegation’s recent visit to Iran contributed to the normalization of ties between the Palestinian group and Tehran.
The firm relations between Hamas and Iran rest upon the same stances the two sides have adopted towards the Palestinian cause and their back up of the anti-Israeli resistance movement, he added.
He said Mishaal’s projected visit to Tehran comes to nurture the seeds of the Iran-Hamas ties.
“Any visit paid by the chairman of Hamas Political Bureau, Khaled Mishaal, to Iran or any other Arab, Islamic or Foreign state that backs up the Palestinian cause is just part of Hamas’s normal course of action,” he underlined.
“Hamas’s relationship with Iran is, and will always be, based on the latter’s constructive stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian cause and resistance,” he added.
“Hamas has always been on the side of the peoples’ will. We call on everyone to stick up for peoples’ aspirations,” he said.
Hamdan reiterated Hamas’s commitment to a politics of non-interference, saying: “We took it upon ourselves to never meddle in the internal affairs of any state. We respect the will of the people but never stick our nose in their in-house affairs. This has been among Hamas’s strongest foreign relations successes.”
28 dec 2014
Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip on Sunday prevented 37 children of Palestinians killed in Israel's latest offensive from entering Israel for a visit coordinated by an Israeli group.
Sources on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing, where the children were supposed to cross into Israel from, said that the children had obtained permits from Israel to leave the besieged coastal enclave for a week to visit Israel and the West Bank for one week.
When the children arrived at the crossing on Sunday morning, however, Hamas-affiliated security services ordered them to go back home.
Israeli media reported that the 37 children in the group had lost their fathers during Israel's summer assault on Gaza that left nearly 2,200 dead, and that some of the fathers were affiliated with Hamas.
Israeli news site Yediot Ahronoth quoted Hamas spokesman Iyad al-Buzm as saying the children were prevented from traveling in order to stop an attempt at "normalizing relations with Israel."
The site also quoted an Israeli affiliated with the Kibbutz movement as saying that during the trip the children were going to be brought to Israeli cities near the border with Gaza to meet Israeli counterparts, in addition to a visit to Ramallah to see President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Kibbutz movement refers to the collective Jewish-only settlements first founded during the British Mandate period in Palestine to begin the Jewish colonization of the land and the gradual displacement of Palestinians.
Normalization refers to the act of engaging with Israel or Israelis in a way that suggests an equivalence between the two sides or any recognition of Israel's existence as a "normal" state.
Advocates of anti-normalization instead consider Israel as an occupying colonial power and believe it a duty to resist, as they say attempts at dialogue with Israel have widely failed and have merely been used as a cover by Israel to entrench its control of Palestine and Palestinians.
Normalization is widely frowned upon by Palestinians, especially the Hamas movement, but is selectively promoted by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah.
Sources on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing, where the children were supposed to cross into Israel from, said that the children had obtained permits from Israel to leave the besieged coastal enclave for a week to visit Israel and the West Bank for one week.
When the children arrived at the crossing on Sunday morning, however, Hamas-affiliated security services ordered them to go back home.
Israeli media reported that the 37 children in the group had lost their fathers during Israel's summer assault on Gaza that left nearly 2,200 dead, and that some of the fathers were affiliated with Hamas.
Israeli news site Yediot Ahronoth quoted Hamas spokesman Iyad al-Buzm as saying the children were prevented from traveling in order to stop an attempt at "normalizing relations with Israel."
The site also quoted an Israeli affiliated with the Kibbutz movement as saying that during the trip the children were going to be brought to Israeli cities near the border with Gaza to meet Israeli counterparts, in addition to a visit to Ramallah to see President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Kibbutz movement refers to the collective Jewish-only settlements first founded during the British Mandate period in Palestine to begin the Jewish colonization of the land and the gradual displacement of Palestinians.
Normalization refers to the act of engaging with Israel or Israelis in a way that suggests an equivalence between the two sides or any recognition of Israel's existence as a "normal" state.
Advocates of anti-normalization instead consider Israel as an occupying colonial power and believe it a duty to resist, as they say attempts at dialogue with Israel have widely failed and have merely been used as a cover by Israel to entrench its control of Palestine and Palestinians.
Normalization is widely frowned upon by Palestinians, especially the Hamas movement, but is selectively promoted by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, confirmed on the sixth anniversary of Al-Furqan Battle that it will keep working on developing the resistance weapons.
The Movement said in a statement issued on Saturday: "On this day in 2008, the Israeli occupation waged a bloody aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza claiming the lives of hundreds of police cadets and officers in the first raid of the war in an attempt to terrorize and subdue the Palestinian resistance, most importantly Hamas."
The Israeli occupation tried to uproot the Palestinian resistance through a comprehensive war against the Gaza Strip for 21 uninterrupted days, which resulted in the death of 1500 citizens and the injury and displacement of thousands others.
The statement noted that the political leadership stood as resolutely as the resistance and refused to bow to the occupation’s conditions especially disarming the resistance or abandoning armed resistance.
Hamas hailed the martyrs of al-Furqan battle including its two senior leaders: Nizar Rayyan and Said Siyam, and considered this battle a prelude to the ensuing victories in the two other aggressions in 2012 and in 2014.
On this occasion, the Movement confirmed its refusal to abandon armed resistance under any circumstances; instead, it said, it would be working on developing its armed potentials.
"Our people will never forget the Israeli heinous crimes and the resistance won't let the occupation get away with these crimes without a fair punishment," Hamas said, adding: "all the conferences that aim to eliminate the Palestinian resistance through the United Nations or through new negotiations are futile and fruitless."
"The Palestinian people will bring to account whoever prevents the reconstruction of Gaza and assists in the blockade on Gaza, and will never forgive whoever tries to distort the resistance’s image and conspires with Israel against it," the Movement concluded.
The Movement said in a statement issued on Saturday: "On this day in 2008, the Israeli occupation waged a bloody aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza claiming the lives of hundreds of police cadets and officers in the first raid of the war in an attempt to terrorize and subdue the Palestinian resistance, most importantly Hamas."
The Israeli occupation tried to uproot the Palestinian resistance through a comprehensive war against the Gaza Strip for 21 uninterrupted days, which resulted in the death of 1500 citizens and the injury and displacement of thousands others.
The statement noted that the political leadership stood as resolutely as the resistance and refused to bow to the occupation’s conditions especially disarming the resistance or abandoning armed resistance.
Hamas hailed the martyrs of al-Furqan battle including its two senior leaders: Nizar Rayyan and Said Siyam, and considered this battle a prelude to the ensuing victories in the two other aggressions in 2012 and in 2014.
On this occasion, the Movement confirmed its refusal to abandon armed resistance under any circumstances; instead, it said, it would be working on developing its armed potentials.
"Our people will never forget the Israeli heinous crimes and the resistance won't let the occupation get away with these crimes without a fair punishment," Hamas said, adding: "all the conferences that aim to eliminate the Palestinian resistance through the United Nations or through new negotiations are futile and fruitless."
"The Palestinian people will bring to account whoever prevents the reconstruction of Gaza and assists in the blockade on Gaza, and will never forgive whoever tries to distort the resistance’s image and conspires with Israel against it," the Movement concluded.
Iran criticized a spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry for saying that the ministry would provide Persian language courses for some of its personnel in order to delegate them to its embassy to be opened in Tehran in the future.
"This a pipe dream and fantasy. It is Iran that will open its embassy on the Palestinian lands when there is no Israel, God willing," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission, told the Young Journalists' Club, an affiliate of the state television.
Spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry Paul Hirschson stated in recent Twitter remarks that the ministry would hold Persian language sessions for its envoys in the hope they could use it one day in the Israeli embassy in Tehran.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also affirmed the foreign ministry's training department intends to open Persian language courses for Israeli diplomats and the ministry's employees.
The initiative is part of the goals outlined by the ministry for 2015, which include getting involved in intelligence activities against Iran and thwarting its nuclear program through diplomacy, according to the newspaper.
"This a pipe dream and fantasy. It is Iran that will open its embassy on the Palestinian lands when there is no Israel, God willing," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the parliamentary national security and foreign policy commission, told the Young Journalists' Club, an affiliate of the state television.
Spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry Paul Hirschson stated in recent Twitter remarks that the ministry would hold Persian language sessions for its envoys in the hope they could use it one day in the Israeli embassy in Tehran.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also affirmed the foreign ministry's training department intends to open Persian language courses for Israeli diplomats and the ministry's employees.
The initiative is part of the goals outlined by the ministry for 2015, which include getting involved in intelligence activities against Iran and thwarting its nuclear program through diplomacy, according to the newspaper.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahhar categorically denied news reports claiming that Qatar pressured his Movement to change its policy towards Egypt, describing the claims in this regard as untrue and unfounded.
"What is this policy of Hamas towards Egypt that needs to be changed? Egypt officially denied the interference of Hamas in its internal affairs and its threat to its national security," Zahhar said in press remarks to Biyan Media Center on Saturday.
"The Egyptian government did not make any accusation against us, and what the media is circulating has no value," he added.
Zahhar welcomed the convergence between Egypt and Qatar and expressed hope to see all Arab countries join forces to support the Palestinian cause.
"We are against wasting the Arab efforts on internal disputes while the enemy is launching several wars and appropriating our right to Jerusalem," he said.
"What is this policy of Hamas towards Egypt that needs to be changed? Egypt officially denied the interference of Hamas in its internal affairs and its threat to its national security," Zahhar said in press remarks to Biyan Media Center on Saturday.
"The Egyptian government did not make any accusation against us, and what the media is circulating has no value," he added.
Zahhar welcomed the convergence between Egypt and Qatar and expressed hope to see all Arab countries join forces to support the Palestinian cause.
"We are against wasting the Arab efforts on internal disputes while the enemy is launching several wars and appropriating our right to Jerusalem," he said.
Senior Hamas leader Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk slammed the Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for having dragged his feet vis-à-vis Gazans’ needs and his monolithic manipulation of decision-making.
Addressing the audience in a meeting convened Saturday afternoon with representatives of trade unions in Gaza, Abu Marzouk said the PA leadership has made of Palestinians’ rights bargaining chips, slamming Abbas for the “shameful document” he had recently lodged with the UN Security Council.
“The document does not live up an inch to Palestinians’ needs and expectations. Nobody has been updated on its content,” he said. “How on earth would you like us to back Abbas up?”
“We have all the potentials to manage our own affairs in Gaza if the government bows out and flouts the maxims of the reconciliation accord,” he added.
“Gaza is not a burden on anybody’s shoulders” he said. “Abbas’s heart has not moved an inch regarding the tragic state of affairs rocking Gaza hospitals.”
He paid tribute to Gaza employees who have been working from the crack of dawn to nighttime without being paid.
He further spoke out against the PA’s reluctance regarding the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
The situation has gone from bad to worse as the donor states have failed to deliver the billions of cash-aids pledged for the reconstruction of the war-battered Strip, he added.
“The Gaza Strip is the most pivotal national factor in the entire history of the Palestinian cause and a thorn in the Israeli occupation’s flesh,” he confirmed.
He urged Abbas to lift all the derogatory and anti-humanitarian decisions taken against Gaza and its populace.
Addressing Egypt’s blockade of the Rafah crossing, Abu Marzouk reiterated Hamas’s commitment to prioritize Sinai’s security and stability but said the Palestinian people should not be the scapegoat singled out upon each and every crisis that crops up in the region.
He urged the Egyptian authorities to unblock the border crossing and allow 38,000 stranded Palestinians access out of and into the Strip.
The Hamas leader blamed the PA leadership for having stepped up mass-arrest campaigns and assaults on human rights and freedoms across the West Bank.
Addressing the audience in a meeting convened Saturday afternoon with representatives of trade unions in Gaza, Abu Marzouk said the PA leadership has made of Palestinians’ rights bargaining chips, slamming Abbas for the “shameful document” he had recently lodged with the UN Security Council.
“The document does not live up an inch to Palestinians’ needs and expectations. Nobody has been updated on its content,” he said. “How on earth would you like us to back Abbas up?”
“We have all the potentials to manage our own affairs in Gaza if the government bows out and flouts the maxims of the reconciliation accord,” he added.
“Gaza is not a burden on anybody’s shoulders” he said. “Abbas’s heart has not moved an inch regarding the tragic state of affairs rocking Gaza hospitals.”
He paid tribute to Gaza employees who have been working from the crack of dawn to nighttime without being paid.
He further spoke out against the PA’s reluctance regarding the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
The situation has gone from bad to worse as the donor states have failed to deliver the billions of cash-aids pledged for the reconstruction of the war-battered Strip, he added.
“The Gaza Strip is the most pivotal national factor in the entire history of the Palestinian cause and a thorn in the Israeli occupation’s flesh,” he confirmed.
He urged Abbas to lift all the derogatory and anti-humanitarian decisions taken against Gaza and its populace.
Addressing Egypt’s blockade of the Rafah crossing, Abu Marzouk reiterated Hamas’s commitment to prioritize Sinai’s security and stability but said the Palestinian people should not be the scapegoat singled out upon each and every crisis that crops up in the region.
He urged the Egyptian authorities to unblock the border crossing and allow 38,000 stranded Palestinians access out of and into the Strip.
The Hamas leader blamed the PA leadership for having stepped up mass-arrest campaigns and assaults on human rights and freedoms across the West Bank.
Turkish premier Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday evening met with political chief of Hamas Khaled Mishaal in his house in the Turkish city of Konya and discussed with him latest developments in the Palestinian arena, especially in Gaza and Jerusalem.
The office of the Turkish premier stated in press remarks that the two sides discussed for about four hours a number of issues of mutual interest, including Turkey's humanitarian assistance for Gaza and its diplomatic moves to curb Israel's violations in Jerusalem.
The office added that Davutoglu and Mishaal also talked about the upcoming visit of president Mahmoud Abbas to Turkey, pointing out that the meeting between the two sides was very fruitful.
Earlier on the same day, Mishaal received a thunderous standing ovation as he entered the conference venue for the fifth general congress of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party.
Addressing the Turkish people, the Hamas political leader hailed their country for its strong support throughout history for Palestine and Jerusalem.
"Know that a strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem and Palestine and a democratic, stable and developed Turkey is a source of power for all Muslims," he said.
"As Turkey has protected Jerusalem and Palestine throughout hundreds of years of its glorious history, we feel happy that you are with the people of Palestine and the Arab and Muslim nations, and we will together achieve the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine, God willing."
His brief address was interrupted repeatedly by cheering crowds in the hall waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting, "Allahu Akbar" and "Down with Israel."
The office of the Turkish premier stated in press remarks that the two sides discussed for about four hours a number of issues of mutual interest, including Turkey's humanitarian assistance for Gaza and its diplomatic moves to curb Israel's violations in Jerusalem.
The office added that Davutoglu and Mishaal also talked about the upcoming visit of president Mahmoud Abbas to Turkey, pointing out that the meeting between the two sides was very fruitful.
Earlier on the same day, Mishaal received a thunderous standing ovation as he entered the conference venue for the fifth general congress of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party.
Addressing the Turkish people, the Hamas political leader hailed their country for its strong support throughout history for Palestine and Jerusalem.
"Know that a strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem and Palestine and a democratic, stable and developed Turkey is a source of power for all Muslims," he said.
"As Turkey has protected Jerusalem and Palestine throughout hundreds of years of its glorious history, we feel happy that you are with the people of Palestine and the Arab and Muslim nations, and we will together achieve the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine, God willing."
His brief address was interrupted repeatedly by cheering crowds in the hall waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting, "Allahu Akbar" and "Down with Israel."