Head of Hamas Political Affairs Department in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Basem Naim, said that the Israeli occupation’s crossing of red lines in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood or any other area in the holy city would lead to “dangerous repercussions”. 

In a statement, Naim confirmed that Jerusalem is the essence of the Palestinian freedom struggle against the Israeli occupation. 

“What happens in Jerusalem concerns all Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims,” the Hamas official said. 

Those who lead the resistance will not keep silent while the Israeli occupation continues to attack Palestinians and their holy places, the Hamas official added. 

Meanwhile, Naim confirmed that Hamas considers the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) the “home” of the Palestinian people and its legitimate representative, emphasizing that the movement cannot accept that the PA continues its unilateralism and hegemony to serve its partisan agenda. 

“We coordinate efforts with other Palestinians and work towards the formation of a national front to confront unilateralism and press [the PA] into reforming and restructuring the PLO. 

Commenting on a recent report by Amnesty International,  the Hamas official confirmed that the Israeli occupation is an “apartheid regime” and described the report as a “strategic gain” for the Palestinian cause. 

The importance of the report lies in the fact that it is issued by the most prominent human rights organization worldwide, whose findings are highly trusted, Naim explained. 

He also emphasized that the Israeli violations are not individual practices but a state-led behavior adopted by legislative, judiciary, and executive authorities, which aims to ethnic cleansing and apartheid against the Palestinian people.

As the Israeli occupation fears that the international cover may be removed, the Israeli leaders are deeply concerned about the report’s findings, Naim said, describing the possible removal of international support as a “strategic existential threat” to the Israeli occupation, the Hamas official continued.

Concerning normalization of ties with the Israeli occupation, the senior Hamas official emphasized that the current developments exceed normalization of political relations with the Israeli occupation and amount to a large-scale penetration into the region, which may lead to Israeli control over the Arab people’s future and assets.