Hamas leader says talks will not restore rights, only God will help the Palestinians, who are a "model for Arab nations;" factions accuse PA of succumbing to outside pressure.
By JPOST.COM STAFFismail haniyeh 311(photo credit: Bloomberg)
Hamas premier Ismail Haniyeh said the Palestinian Authority's agreement to resume direct talks will lead to failure, Maan News reported on Monday.The Palestinians "should trust God, who will be an ally of the Palestinians," the Hamas leader reportedly said at a mosque in the Jabaliya refugee camp. He added that negotiations would not restore Palestinian rights or religious sites.RELATED:Hamas: PA waging war on Islam, AllahPalestinian factions slam PA leadershipHaniyeh also reportedly said that Palestinians are a "model for Arab nations and Islamic countries," because of their persistence over the years.Hamas postponed a meeting with Fatah indefinitely on Sunday, due to the Palestinian Authority’s decision to enter direct talks with Israel.The meeting, which was supposed to take place on Saturday night, had been scheduled in order to address the obstacles to unity between the two groups.With the exception of the PLO Executive Committee, an unelected body dominated by Abbas loyalists, Palestinians across the political spectrum were united over the weekend in denouncing the PA’s “capitulation.” Several Palestinian factions accused the PA leadership of abandoning its conditions and succumbing to outside pressure.
