Head of Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, considered the UK home secretary’s plan to designate the movement as a terrorist movement a failed attempt to isolate Hamas. 

In an interview with the Al-Aqsa TV channel, Haniyeh said that many international parties declared that the Palestinian issue would not be solved without Hamas on the table. 

The Hamas chief emphasized that his movement is prepared to ‘open dialogues’  with any country worldwide, except for the Israeli occupation. 

The intra-Palestinian reconciliation

The top Hamas official revealed that the movement had presented the Egyptian intelligence a vision on healing the internal division, noting that the reconstruction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization through elections is a major pillar in this plan. 

We have to agree on a political program that all the Palestinian factions adhere to and work together towards adopting consensual positions, the Hamas chief said.

He also emphasized that the Palestinian factions should agree on a resistance strategy that combines resistance and political work and denounces unilateralism. “Such a strategy will be focused on thwarting the Israeli occupation’s schemes.” 

The Hamas chief emphasized that the movement looks for the Palestinian vote, believes in partnership, and rejects unilateralism, noting that the movement would form a national unity government if it won the elections. 

Concerning efforts to achieve reconciliation, Haniyeh said that unity could be achieved without preconditions, highlighting that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas requested a written recognition of the so-called “international legitimacy” to push for the reconciliation. “Hamas accepted the eight Palestinian factions' vision to achieve the reconciliation… and this reflects the convergence of our viewpoints during the talks held in Cairo, Beirut, and internally.” 

The internal vote 

Haniyeh declared that the movement had successfully and smoothly conducted its internal vote, pointing out that the regularly organized vote is one of Hamas’s strengths. “It was a real vote that witnessed open competition.”

The movement’s priorities 

The Hamas chief confirmed that Jerusalem is on top of Hamas’s priorities. “We work towards protecting Jerusalem from the Israeli occupation’s schemes.”

For Hamas, Haniyeh added, freeing the Palestinian detainees held in Israeli occupation jails and breaking the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip are of the main priorities. 

The top Hamas official pointed out that the movement will continue to maintain the Palestinian cause's constants, above all the right to return and establish the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. 

Haniyeh confirmed that the newly elected political bureau would strengthen the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and in the West Bank, where Palestinians are continually engaged in confrontations with Israeli occupation forces. 

The Palestinian people inside the 1948 occupied territories are also an “integral part of the map of confrontations” with the Israeli occupation, Haniyeh added. 

The top Hamas official continued to list other issues on top of Hamas’s agenda—healing the Palestinian split, building up political coalitions against the Israeli occupation, and strengthening ties with the Arab and Islamic Ummah and the international community. “Hamas will take advantage of significant changes in political positions towards the Palestinian cause.” 

Sword of Jerusalem battle 

The Hamas chief emphasized that the "Sword of Jerusalem" battle enacted the sense of unity among the Palestinian people, noting that this battle is unique, as Jerusalem was the trigger. 
“This battle also proved that endeavors to isolate our people in the 1948 occupied territories have failed.”

Addressing Palestinians who have lost their homes and property during the battle, Haniyeh said: “We won’t spare any effort to push for the reconstruction process and will intensify our contacts with the United Nations, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to accelerate the process.”
   
Hamas does not accept the continuation of Israeli violations against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Haniyeh added, emphasizing that the Palestinian people will continue to face off Israeli occupation illegal colonial settlement, forcible displacement, or any other Israeli offensive. 

Hamas’s foreign relations 

The Hamas chief said that the movement maintains rock-solid relations with the Arab and Islamic countries like Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and Iran. 

Egypt plays a major role in many strategic issues such as the reconciliation, trade, the Palestinian detainees, and the recent developments in Jerusalem, the Hamas chief explained. 

Haniyeh added that Qatar also provides support for the people in Gaza and plays a crucial role in reconstructing the Gaza Strip. 

The Hamas chief also thanked Turkey and Iran for supporting the Palestinian cause. 

Regarding the relations with Saudi Arabia, the Hamas chief confirmed that the movement is keen on maintaining good ties with the kingdom, pointing out that the Saudi policy towards Hamas had changed to the worst over the past few years. 

Haniyeh also demanded Saudi Arabia to release detainees held in the kingdom’s jails, emphasizing that Hamas received the news about the verdicts against the Palestinian detainees with shock and dismay. “This is not Saudi Arabia that we know.”

We continue to contact mediators to press Saudi authorities to release the Palestinian detainees, Haniyeh added. 

Normalization with the Israeli occupation 

Haniyeh said that forging ties with the Israeli occupation do not bring any good to the Arab region. “It is a political, military, security penetration to the Arab region.” 

He also confirmed that the Arab peoples are against normalization, and the normalizing regimes cannot impose normalization on their peoples.

The top Hamas official also hailed the move by Moroccan lawyers against the Israeli occupation. They filed cases against Israeli occupation leaders for perpetrating war crimes against the Palestinian people.