Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on Sunday, warning the Palestinian movement leader against any potential compromise with Israel, according to AFP.
Referencing the recent reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, Khamenei said that Haniyeh must "always be wary of infiltration by compromisers in a resistance organization, which will gradually weaken it." Haniyeh arrived in Iran on Friday for a three-day visit.
The agreement, reached between Fatah and Hamas under the auspices of Qatar, calls for Abbas to serve as an interim prime minister of a Palestinian unity government made up of independent figures. It has stirred controversy, both within the domestic Palestinian arena and in the international community.
Hamas's Change and Reform List issued a statement last week, saying that Abbas’s appointment as prime minister of a unity government was in violation of the Basic Law. Other Hamas officials condemned the deal, calling it "unconstitutional."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also blasted the deal, saying that it shows the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process is over. “Hamas is an enemy of peace. It’s an Iranian-backed
terror organization committed to Israel’s destruction,” Netanyahu said.
During his meeting with Haniyeh, Khamenei vowed to "always remain by the Palestinian people and the resistance,” according to AFP. Haniyeh also praised Iran for its support of the Palestinian cause.
Haniyeh also congratulated the Iranian leader on the high public turnout for the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution, saying that "the massive participation of people makes us hopeful about the future of the Islamic ummah [the Arab world] and the victory of the Palestinian resistance," Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. "Muslims, through full unity and with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran will liberate al-Aqsa mosque in the future."