Former head of Hamas’s  political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, has called for acceleration of the steps taken towards the Palestinian reconciliation without wasting opportunities and to end both the siege and sanctions imposed on the Gaza Strip.  

During a speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of Balfour’s historic crime, at the fifth Palestinian National Security Conference organized by the Academy of Political studies in Gaza on Thursday, Meshaal confirmed that the reconciliation has been Hamas’s decision following the first day of the political rift between Fatah and Hamas.  

Meshaal stressed that Hamas did not choose the internal division, but was rather forced upon Hamas through the pressure of the surrounding circumstances. He also pointed out the need to work in unity to be able to rebuild national institutions and move forward to achieve the hopes and aspirations of Palestinian people despite the differences the two factions have. 

Following the internal division, Meshaal reiterated that he had contacted Egypt’s intelligence minister, Omar Suleiman on June 15, 2007 and briefed him on the situation in Gaza, saying “What happened in Gaza was not our decision, but it was rather forced upon us”. 

Balfour Declaration

"It’s a shame that Britain is voicing its pride in the Balfour Declaration rather than apologizing for this historical crime”, Meshaal said. “And those responsible for the injustice brought upon the Palestinian people will be disgraced for the rest of their lives”. 

Palestinian National Project

Meshaal said that in recent years, the Palestinian national project has suffered a number of obstacles  and imbalances, the most important of which is the serious political dispute after Oslo on national concepts, the factional ideology  over the national project, the retreat of resistance in the mind of the political leadership, the decline of the role of Palestinians in the diaspora, the decline of the Palestinian cause as a top priority in the region and the international arena, and the disgraceful  normalization  with Israel which some Arab countries sought.  

In a related context, Meshaal stressed the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli Occupation in all its forms, including armed resistance.

The former head criticized the poor state that national institutions have been left in, particularity the PLO,  pointing out that the gravity of the situation.

“How can people under occupation become free without having resistance as a means of liberation?”

Meshaal also stressed that no faction or leadership has the right to exclude the Palestinian people in diaspora from their role in making national decisions.

He pointed out that Arab parties are seeking to convene an international conference to legitimize secret relations with Israel, pointing out that Trump’s “deal of the century” is a scheme aimed at the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.

At the end of his speech, Meshaal presented a vision for the advancement of the Palestinian national project based on consensus and common ground. 

"We need an intensive and urgent rehabilitation program to address,  as a Palestinian leadership, our chronic crises and achieve noticeable successes to restore confidence in our people and emerge from the difficult situation we are facing”.