Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Hamas denies internal divisions regarding calm

Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, revealed that Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, former foreign minister, would leave for Cairo to follow up the Egyptian efforts regarding the prisoner swap deal and the truce with Israel, categorically denying the existence of any disputes or divisions within Hamas with regard to its current political stance

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Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, revealed that Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, former foreign minister, would leave for Cairo to follow up the Egyptian efforts regarding the prisoner swap deal and the truce with Israel, categorically denying the existence of any disputes or divisions within Hamas with regard to its current political stance.

Commenting in a press statement to the Quds Press on Israeli allegations about the presence of disputes between moderates and hardliners within Hamas, Dr. Abu Marzouk stated: "I do not think that one of those people who talks about strong disputes in the political bureau attended our meetings."

The Hamas leader added that any decision issued by the political leadership of Hamas in Damascus is taken after considering viewpoints of all leaders of the Movement whether they were in Gaza, the West Bank or in Israeli jails.

The Hamas leader explained that the talk of some politicians and opinion-makers that the Hamas decision to accept a Palestinian state within 1967 borders reflected a political flexibility towards Israel is not accurate because "this position is already mentioned in the national accord document both with respect to the call for general elections or the peace process with Israel.

For its part, the Hamas Movement categorically denied Tuesday the news which talked about its approval to manage the Rafah border crossing according to the protocol signed in 2005, highlighting that the crossing must be purely under Egyptian-Palestinian control without Israel"s interference.

Ismail Radwan, a prominent Hamas leader, stated that Hamas wants to operate the crossing away from this protocol which gives the Israeli occupation a chance to intervene and control anew the movement of Palestinian passengers, pointing out that his Movement showed full flexibility with regard to the presence of Europeans at the crossing.

Radwan added that the Movement also showed flexibility towards those who would be appointed by the PA in Ramallah to work at the crossing, providing they should be accepted by the Palestinian people.