Exiled head of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)
Khaled Meshaal Saturday urged the Arab countries to support the
Palestinian people as financial and political siege imposed on the
Palestinians continues.
Speaking at a joint press conference after his meeting with Arab
League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa, Meshaal called on Arabs
and Muslims as well as the international communities to support the
Palestinians.
Meshaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, said the Palestinian
people will not be patient under the pressure and the first step to
lift the sanctions must be an Arab one.
"The Palestinians need more financial fund," he underlined.
Western countries have imposed sanctions on the Palestinian
National Authority since Hamas, who rejected three international
demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and respect previous
peace deals, single-handedly formed the government last March after
defeating long-dominant Fatah movement in January 2006
elections.
More than 40 days have passed since the Palestinian unity
government grouping Hamas and Fatah took office, the siege on the
Palestinians are still not lifted in spite of the Palestinians'
high expectation.
The Hamas leader called on Moussa to be directly involved in
following up on financial pledges made by Arab states.
Moussa, for his part, said the AL and some Arab states have
channeled funds to the Palestinian National Authority, saying that
"We will not allow the Palestinian people to be starved."
In addition, Meshaal met with visiting Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo late Friday.
Concerning a prisoner swap deal with Israel, Meshaal blamed
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for delaying the exchange
between hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and an Israeli soldier
captured by three Palestinian militant groups headed by Hamas last
June.
"The ball is in Olmert's court now, and he's the cause of the
(prisoner exchange) deal's delay," he said.
This is the first meeting between Abbas and Meshaal, who arrived
here late Friday and Thursday night respectively, since a
Palestinian unity government took office on March 17 after a
power-sharing agreement was reached in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 8.
The meeting came as Palestinian-Israeli tensions escalated after
Israel launched military operations in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip and Hamas fired a barrage of rockets earlier in the week and
declared a five-month cease-fire over.
(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2007)
