Hamas Chief:

US, Israel Decisions on Al-Quds Threat to Palestine

Rasa - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned against the “rash decisions” of the US and Israel with regard to Jerusalem al-Quds as a historic threat against Palestine.

News ID: 435998

Date: 25 January 2018 - 02:29

RNA - In a Tuesday speech, Haniyeh described US President Donald Trump’s recognition of East Jerusalem al-Quds as “the beginning of the end of Israel”, presstv reported.

He said to serious efforts are underway across the region based on two main strategies, including not recognizing Israel and supporting the resistance movement.

If the entire world recognizes al-Quds as the capital of Israel, such a “futile” measure will not create any commitment for the Palestinian nation, the Hamas chief said.

He underlined the need for national reconciliation among Palestinian factions, noting that the new threats against the Gaza Strip and al-Quds make it necessary for all Palestinians to find a national strategy with regard to the issue.

Haniyeh stressed the importance of resistance in Palestine’s economic and military strategies and by the media.

The remarks came amid the ongoing wave of protests and general strikes across the Palestinian territories in protest at US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds.

On Tuesday, shops, government institutions, and businesses closed as part of the strike action. Public transportation unions also participated in the walkout action.

Also, on Monday the Palestinian Authority refused to meet with Pence in his visit in protest against the US move on Jerusalem.

Pence landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday, marking the highest-level visit by a US official to the region since Trump’s decision.

Washington’s dramatic U-turn on Jerusalem al-Quds on December 2017, drew global condemnations, prompting the UN General Assembly to overwhelmingly approve a resolution against Trump’s declaration.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in a statement issued following an extraordinary summit in Turkey's Istanbul, declared East Jerusalem the capital of Palestine "under occupation" and urged the US to withdraw from the peace process and back down from its Jerusalem decision.

The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is currently under Israel’s control, while the regime also claims the city’s Eastern part, which hosts the third holiest Muslim site.

The city, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, has been designated as “occupied” under international law since the 1967 Arab War.

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