Haniyeh: Hamas will not stand in the way of state on '67 borders

Maan
Gaza – Hamas will not stand in the way of the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday.

Haniyeh was speaking during his first visit to the Grand Mosque in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza since last winter's war. He said Hamas and his government are “not an obstacle in front of establishing a Palestinian State on 1967 borders and [are] working on achieving [such a state] but this does not mean giving up the rest of the land and the rights of the coming generations.”

While Hamas’ charter calls for a Palestinian state throughout historic Palestine, the movement’s leaders have said for years that they would accept the goal of a state on the 1967 borders of the West Bank and Gaza.

Haniyeh also spoke about the long-stalled negotiations to reconcile Hamas with the rival Fatah movement. “We are working on restoring the unity of the Palestinian people and land,” he said, “there are rounds of talks that are held … in Cairo aiming at ending the disputes restoring unity.”

The prime minister said there is a long way to go before a unity deal is reached. “The way to an agreement is still long … there are obstacles.” He also accused the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority of holding up the unity negotiations in Egypt. His counterparts in Ramallah, he said, “do not want a breakthrough on the issue of the prisoners … they are still walking on the American and Israeli track an … they want a government that would recognize Israel offering concessions which is an obstacle in the way of reaching an agreement.”

Donor funds

Haniyeh also alluded to Israeli accusations that Hamas had diverted international funds donated to help rebuild Gaza from the December-January military offensive. “We have small amount of money,” he said, “We do not receive money from the donor countries.” “The destruction caused by the Israeli occupation [during the war] is huge” claiming that the de facto Gaza government had offered 60 million US dollars in aid to its constituents.

The Hamas leader also made what may have been an allusion to the bombing of a wedding party for a prominent Fatah member two days before. “There are big differences between the stage before … of security chaos and its consequences, and the stage after, when the freedom of the people, the individual, the home and the family are intact.”He said his government “is committed to protect people … protecting the resistance project since it is a strategic choice for the Palestinians.”