Hamas Top Leader stresses the right of peoples to resist occupation

Khaled Mishaal, chairman of the political bureau of Hamas movement, stressed that the Palestinian people and factions have the right to resist the occupation, according to international norms and conventions.

This came during a speech delivered by Mishaal at a forum in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

The Palestinian leader stressed that the Palestinian people’s resistance to the occupation is a legitimate right guaranteed by all religions and international conventions, and is not opposed to moderation and centrism.

He noted: “The Americans resisted the English occupier and the French people resisted the Nazi occupier, so why don’t they recognize the right of our people to resist the Israeli occupation and why do they describe the Palestinian resistance as terrorism.”

The Hamas supreme leader accused the United States and Israel of disrupting the process of the Palestinian national reconciliation, and said: “The United States has put pressure and threats on the Palestinian Authority in order to thwart the agreements that have been reached between Fatah and Hamas movements.”

He added that Israel is using the negotiations to mislead the world, and called upon the international community “to confront the Israeli extremism and occupation and to support the Palestinians’ right to freedom and independence.”

“The negotiations have lasted for more than 20 years, since 1991 in Madrid. The Palestinian people have gained nothing from the negotiation process, while Israel has been using it to cover up its crimes and to impose new realities on the ground”, Mishaal said.

He hailed, on behalf of the Palestinian people, the continuous Malaysian support for the Palestinian cause, and expressed his appreciation for the visit by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to the besieged Gaza Strip.

He also called on Malaysia and the international community to support the issue of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.