Hamas PM wraps up Iran visit, saying the "gun is our only response" and that "the path of resistance continues."
By JPOST.COM STAFFHamas PM Ismail Haniyeh arrives in Tehran Iran 390 (R)(photo credit: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)
Only arms and no compromise should be used in dealing with the "Zionist regime," the Iranian news agency ISNA quoted Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh as saying Monday.The "Gun is our only response to Zionist regime [sic]. In time, we have come to understand that we can obtain our goals only through fighting and armed resistance and no compromise should be made with the enemy," Haniyeh said.The "Path of resistance continues and if we make any compromise, it is for resistance and obtaining Palestinians' rights," he continued.While in Iran, Haniyeh met with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Last week, the Al-Quds daily reported that leaders from Gulf states warned Haniyeh not to visit Iran as planned, highlighting the divide between Sunni Arab leaders and Shi'ite Iran.According to the report, sources said, "Officials in the Gulf states advised Haniyeh not to visit Iran due to tense relations," and "expressed concern over Iran's ambitions in the Persian Gulf."The source said high-level officials in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait - which Haniyeh recently visited - urged him to cancel the planned Iran visit, saying "without a doubt, Haniyeh's visit to Tehran will have consequences."Late last month, the Gaza-based Hamas leader departed the Strip for a tour of Iran and GUlf states.A diplomatic source told Reuters that Iran had funded Hamas in the past with up to $300 million per year, but the flow of money had not been regular in 2011. "Payment has been in suspension since August," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Analysts and diplomatic sources say Iran has been unhappy with Hamas for its refusal to offer public support to its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has hosted the Hamas leadership in exile in his capital Damascus for the past decade. Reuters contributed to this report.
