Palestinian factions reaffirm
unity in Beirut meeting

Palestinian factions held a videoconference in Ramallah and Beirut with the participation head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh and PA chief Mahmoud Abbas and Islamic Jihad leader, Ziyad al-Nakhalah.

These events have created a very positive atmosphere in the Palestinian domestic scene, to the point that for the first time the will of all Palestinian groups without any external interference or mediation has been placed on the need for unity. These developments have made it possible to unify the internal Palestinian scene against the occupiers after years of differences and divisions.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas’ political bureau, says the Zionist regime has no future in Palestinian territories.

Speaking in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday, Haniyeh said Palestinian resistance would continue until the complete liberation of all occupied Palestinian lands and the return of refugees.

He said the Palestinian nation would not cede an iota of its land to the Israeli regime, which he also said Hamas would never recognize.

“Israel is our enemy, and our only choice is all-out resistance,” Haniyeh said.

Haniyeh also said that the meeting paved the way for strengthening Palestinian unity.

He said the meeting “defined our strategic priorities, the first of which is that we will not give up the right of return” for Palestinian refugees.

Haniyeh also vowed to retaliate against all Israeli crimes, saying the regime wouldn’t be able to get away with those crimes.

He said the resistance had extended the range of its missiles. “Our missiles can reach Tel Aviv and beyond,” he added.

The Thursday meeting was joined by Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the leader of Islamic Jihad.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also addressed the gathering via video-link from the city of Ramallah in the Israel-occupied West Bank.

The meeting took place after Israel and the United Arab Emirates last month reached a normalization deal, which has been denounced by the Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.

In this regard, Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Fatah movement and Palestinian Authority chief emphasized that time has come to form the Resistance Command to lead the popular resistance factions.
Abu Ahmad Fawad, Deputy Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also said: "The unity of the Palestinians can only be achieved by abandoning the Oslo Accords and denying recognition to the Zionist regime."
"The meeting of the leaders of the Palestinian National Initiative in Beirut is an irreplaceable opportunity to achieve national unity, end disputes and prepare for elections," Mustafa al-Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative movement, said.
"Saleh al-Aruri," one of the leaders of Hamas resistance group, also said: "The Beirut summit had special features including the presence of all Palestinian groups inside and outside the country.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Al-Hindi, one of the leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said: "The Palestinian Authority has fully and definitively concluded that the compromise talks have never been fruitful and this has increased the possibility of a success of the meeting.
"There is no obstacle to the entry of Hamas and its leaders into the structure of the Palestine Liberation Organization," Nabil Shaath, one of the leaders of the Fatah movement, told the BBC.