Haniyeh Slams Abbas - Olmert Meetings

7 August 2007

Gaza – Ma'an – The dismissed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has warned of the consequences of the recent spate of meetings between the Palestinian and Israeli administrations.

Haniyeh stated that the meetings were an “American trap that sought to close the Palestinian case for the sake of waging wars against Islamic states in the region” and warned the Palestinian people not to fall into this “dangerous trap.”

Haniyeh warned also of the illusory nature of the “progress” thus far achieved, highlighting unity as the only mechanism by which the Palestinian cause could be fulfilled:

"There are no political advantages to be gained from these meetings, and the Israeli red lines still lie in front of us. Steadfastness, unity, and Palestinian kinship are the major principles with which Palestinian rights will be fulfilled,” Haniyeh stated.

Haniyeh also expressed his debt of gratitude to Qatar, who in recent months have continued to provide aid to the Palestinian people, noting that "the Arabic countries that we are proud of have expressed their Arabic-Islamic identity by standing beside the Palestinians in the last few months.”

Further Reading:

Haniya : Rallying the Bush goal area behind the decision to launch a strike of any Arab or Muslim