MESHAAL: WE WILL RELEASE OUR PRISONERS, LIBERATE AL-AQSA
Gaza, 20 Jumadil Akhir 1435/20 April 2014 (MINA) – The Head of Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, said that the Islamic Resistance Movement would do its best in favor of our hero prisoners, Jerusalem, al-Aqsa mosque, the right of return, and the whole Palestinian land.
Meshaal assured that all Palestinian parties should cooperate with Hamas to serve the Palestinian cause. He pointed out reconciliation with Fatah movement, resistance, sticking to Palestinian land, constants, and the right of return are part of our just cause.
He called on ending the Palestinian split, unifying the Palestinian people, and strengthening the internal Palestinian relations, pointing out that the political decision is the responsibility of the whole people. Palestine’s Al Ray reported as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).
“Occupation will not incapacitate us. As we forced the Israeli settlers to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, we will also force themas well to withdraw from the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the whole Palestine too,” Meshaal added.
He said Palestinian youth are in clashes with the Israeli occupation to free Palestine and in favor of Jerusalem, the Palestinian capital, Al-Aqsa, and the Palestinian refugees.
Khaled Mashal, born 28 May 1956 is a Palestinian political leader and the leader of the Hamas political bureau since the Israeli assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 2004.
After the founding of Hamas in 1987, Mashal came to lead the Kuwaiti branch of the organization. He moved from Kuwait to Jordan in 1991. Since the expulsion of the Hamas leadership from Jordan in August 1999, Mashal lived in Qatar before moving to the Syrian capital of Damascus in 2001. He returned to Qatar in 2012 as a result of the Syrian civil war.
In 2010, the British magazine New Statesman listed Khaled Mashal at number 18 in the list of “The World’s 50 Most Influential Figures 2010”.In February 2012, as the Syrian civil war progressed, Meshal left Syria and returned to Qatar. Soon after, he announced his support for the Syrian opposition. In 2012, he visited Gaza for the first time, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hamas.
Mashal was involved in negotiating a prisoner exchange deal which released captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Shalit was seized inside Israel near the southern Gaza Strip border by a coalition of Palestinian paramilitary groups, including Hamas, who had crossed the border through an underground tunnel near the Kerem Shalom border crossing. On 10 July 2006, Mashal spoke authoritatively concerning the Israeli prisoner, stating Shalit was a prisoner of war and demanding a prisoner swap (T/P04/P03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
