Mishaal: Hamas will help make Egypt’s efforts for reconciliation succeed

Mishaal: Hamas will help make Egypt’s efforts for reconciliation succeed

Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khalid Mishaal, said on Wednesday that his Movement is keen to help make Egypt”s efforts in achieving inter-Palestinian reconciliation succeed despite the reservations raised by the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, on the draft paper presented by Egypt.


“We in Hamas, and the rest of Palestinian factions are with reconciliation because we want reconciliation, and we shall work to make the inter-Palestinian national reconciliation talks in Cairo succeed”, asserted Mishaal in a press conference held by the follow up committee of the Palestinian national conference in the Syrian capital Damascus.


He also underlined that his Movement”s reservations on the draft paper and the modifications Hamas suggested on it will be submitted to the Egyptians to study those suggestions, adding that the paper will be fertile ground for the reconciliation after modifying it. “We want to provide a positive atmosphere to make the talks succeed”, he pointed out.


Moreover, the Hamas senior official underscored that Hamas was keen on holding bilateral talks with Fatah but, he added, Fatah refused although we believe that such meeting, if it had been held, would have greatly contributed to make the Cairo dialogue succeed.


But Mishaal refused to reveal his Movement”s reservations on the Egyptian paper, stressing the importance of that paper and the need to accept it from all Palestinian factions.


“The [Egyptian] draft paper that has been submitted [to the Palestinian factions] formed good grounds for the Palestinian reconciliation, but, for the reconciliation to be achieved all the reservations raised by the concerned Palestinian factions should be taken into consideration”, underlined Mishaal.


Meanwhile, the follow-up committee discussed a number of issues in the Palestinian arena, including the Israeli escalation against Palestinian citizens in the 1948-occupied Palestinian city of Akka, in addition to the harsh conditions in the besieged Gaza Strip.


In a final statement it issued, and read by Palestinian leader Talal Naji of the PFLP-GC, the committee condemned the Israeli aggressions on the occupied city of Jerusalem, and the escalated settlement activities in the West Bank, particularly in Jerusalem.


The committee also urged the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank to desist from coordinating with the Israeli security departments, and to stop chasing and arresting Palestinian resistance fighters and closing of charitable societies there.