Speaking in Khartoum, Khaled Mashaal praises fall of Mubarak, says Cairo returned "to its natural state," calls on Fatah and Hamas to reunite.
By JPOST.COM STAFFHamas leader Khaled Mashaal 311 Reu(photo credit: Khaled Al Hariri / Reuters)
Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Sunday praised last month's political revolution in Egypt, saying that it had given the Palestinian people their lives back, AFP reported.Speaking in Khartoum in a live broadcast on Sudanese state television, Mashaal was quoted by AFP as saying, "Today we are witnessing Cairo returning to its natural state, after it disappeared from that state for a long time. The people in Egypt and Tunisia have given us back our lives."RELATED:Opinion:The indefensible case for withdrawalOusted Egyptian former president Hosni Mubarak resigned on February 11 after a series of massive protests rattled the country for three weeks.The Hamas leader spoke at the opening of the Iranian-funded Al-Quds (Jerusalem) International Foundation conference taking place in Khartoum this year.Commenting on the Hamas-Fatah rift, Mashaal urged the two factions to reunite based on "jihad" against Israel."The first step (to liberating Jerusalem from Israeli occupation) is refusal to negotiate with Israel... and to establish a new, reconciled Palestinian position based on jihad," he was quoted by AFP as saying.On Friday, a Hamas delegation was expected to leave Gaza for Sudan and then on to Damascus for a round of meetings about negotiations for a prisoner exchange that would include captive Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit.Hamas said that progress was being made and that the mediator has presented new ideas to both Hamas and Israel, the Gaza-based news agency reported.Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East
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