Head of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, Khaled Mashal, phoned Monday Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, informing him that the Hamas movement approves and supports the UN bid Abbas will be presenting on November 29.Mashal said that the Palestinian bid must be based on a national Palestinian vision and strategy that upholds and protects the legitimate Palestinian rights.
The Hamas leader further stated that it is very important for the Palestinians to achieve a comprehensive national reconciliation, especially amidst the current strong unity among all Palestinians following the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza and its people.
Hamas and Fateh held numerous talks sponsored by Egypt and several Arab countries, and even signed a national unity agreement brokered by Egypt in May 2011, but full unity and reconciliation were never achieved due to several issues, including politics and the ongoing Israeli violations and attacks.
As part of its efforts to ensure successful unity talks, the Hamas-run government in Gaza and its Ministry of Interior, announced last Friday that they will be granting full amnesty to all prisoners held since the two movements were engaged in armed conflict in 2006 leading to dozens of casualties.
The Fateh-led Palestinian Authority under president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, also said that it will be releasing all Hamas political prisoners in the coming few days.
On his part, Nabil Shaath, a senior official of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the occupied West Bank, announced that senior Fateh and Hamas officials in the West Bank will be holding high-level meetings, including attending and participating in meetings of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
In related news, member of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, Khalil Al-Hayya, stated that his movement is interested in national reconciliation and unity, and is actively acting on achieving reconciliation.
Yet, Al-Hayya stated during an interview with the Al-Aqsa Satellite TV, that Hamas insists on three main issues that should be agreed upon; resistance against the occupation is the means to end it, Palestinian political agenda, and reforming Palestinian institutions, including the PLO.
He added that these three filed have been delaying and obstructing unity, but added that every Palestinian knows, especially after the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza, that armed resistance is the only means to end the Israeli occupation.
