Haniyeh slams PA's UN state bid as 'political tampering'

Hamas PM says important not to give up on right of return for Palestinians; condemns Palestinian Authority for not consulting all parties on UN bid.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, KHALED ABU TOAMEH
ismail haniyeh_311 reuters (photo credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)
ismail haniyeh_311 reuters
(photo credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem)
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday denounced the the Palestinian Authority’s plan to seek membership for a Palestinian state in the UN this week as "political tampering."
"No mandate for any Palestinian leadership wants to give up on the rights of the Palestinian people, especially the right of return," Haniyeh said during a session of the Legislative Council in Gaza City.
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He slated the Palestinian Authority for not consulting with all the Palestinian parties and said that his government rejects any unilateral steps taken by the PLO.
"We support establishing any Palestinian state on any part of Palestinian land without giving up an inch of Palestine or recognizing Israel," he added.
Haniyeh's comments came after Hamas said over the weekend that it was opposed to the Palestinian Authority's plan because it was a “separate” move that did not represent Palestinian consensus.
“Unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority’s decision to apply for membership of a Palestinian state in the UN is a separate move that does not represent Palestinian national conformity,” the Islamist movement said in a statement.
Hamas said it was also opposed to the statehood bid because it was “not part of an agreed comprehensive, national struggling strategy, but an extension of the negotiations [with Israel].”
Hamas reiterated its conviction that “resistance and all forms of popular and political struggles is the real way to liberate our lands and extract our rights.”
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