In an indication of how Hamas interprets the truce announced yesterday, Al-Arabiya reports that Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal has called upon Arab countries to supply the Palestinian “resistance” with weapons. According to a translation of the Arabic language report:
Khaled Mashaal called the Arab countries to supply Palestinian resistance [muqawamah]with arms, maintaining that Palestine needs a political programme founded on resistance. Mashaal added that Hamas will work to end the internal Palestinian division, and work on national unity and resistance. Mashaal thanked Egyptian President Mursi and the 25th January revolution. Mashaal also said that Israel failed to eliminate the infrastucture of resistance, and that those resisting in Gaza proved the failure of Israel’s ability to deter.
A post from October reported that Meshaal gave a speech in Cairo in which he said that “Nothing will restore the homeland but jihad, the rifle, and self-sacrifice” and that Zionists are the enemies of Allah and of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, and Abraham – the enemies of the Prophets, of the Messengers, of values, and of morality.’ Another earlier post from reported that Meshaal had decided to step down from his position as head of the Hamas political leadership.
The Hamas charter states that it is ” is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and an early media report indicated that shortly after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives were present to review Hamas military formations . In 2007, a Hamas journalist acknowledged the role that the “international Muslim Brotherhood” has played in providing funds for the purchase of weapons and in 2008, an Israeli TV station reported that Muslim Brotherhood “representatives” had traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the open border to meet with Hamas. Hamas is supported financially and politically by the global Muslim Brotherhood and a NEFA Foundation report has documented the Hamas fund-raising activities of the Union of Good, a coalition of Islamic charities linked to the Brotherhood that provides financial support to both the Hamas “social” infrastructure, as well as its terrorist activities. Previous posts have also discussed the worldwide campaign orchestrated by the global Brotherhood against Israeli actions in Gaza during the 2008-2009 conflict with Israel.