HEAD of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, has written to all presidents, kings, and emirs of Arab and Islamic countries; Secretary-General of the Arab League Aboul Gheit; Secretary-General of The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Al-Othaimeen; and the Chair of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki to express the movement’s absolute rejection of the ‘Deal of Century’ and to mobilise support for the Palestinians in the face of Trump’s deal. The full text of Haniyeh’s letter is as follows:
‘Deal of the Century’
‘DEAR Sir/Madam,
It is our great pleasure in Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas to extend our sincerest thanks and gratitude for your honourable stances supporting Palestine, Palestinian rights, and the Palestinian freedom struggle to restore freedom and rights, the foremost of them is liberating our land and establishing the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
We have been following up on the dangerous decisions and moves taken by the US administration since Trump took office. Since then, the US administration has taken many decisions against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian rights, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation in December 2017, cutting financial assistance to UNRWA in August 2018.
At the same time, the Israeli terrorism has been accelerating against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem through settlement projects, Judaization plans, displacement, blockade, and schemes to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque spatially and timely. Furthermore, the US administration provides an absolute, unprecedented, and blind support for the Israeli occupation.
The Trump administration also provides a cover for Israeli racist and terrorist agenda by supporting moves taken by the Israeli right-wing government. The last of the US biased positions was announcing the so-called “Deal of the Century” on Tuesday, January 31, 2020.
Indeed, Trump’s plan is a blatant violation against our land, people, and Islamic Ummah. Moreover, it flagrantly violates all international resolutions and conventions and is a clear provocation for the feelings of our Ummah. Announcing the deal is not only a dangerous escalation against Palestine but also a stab in the back of our Ummah, for its aime is to change the history of Palestine, to threaten its future, to steal its sacred places, and to endorse the existence of a rogue entity on Palestinian land. Such an announcement, in fact, backs the longest and most dangerous occupation in modern history.
We, in Hamas movement, have taken the lead and phoned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in an attempt to unify all efforts against the aggressive US-announced deal.
We also contacted the leaders of the Palestinian factions in order to agree on and support a unified stance that represents all the Palestinian people. By doing this, we aim to stand one hand against Trump’s newly announced deal.
Believing in the role and responsibility burdened by the Islamic Ummah to defend Palestine, the just cause of the Palestinians, Palestinian rights, and Jerusalem, which faces the most dangerous plot in its history, we, in Hamas Movement, urge you to move immediately, declare absolute rejection of the Trump plan and all the items included in the so-called “Deal of the Century”.
We would like to stress the following:
First: We declare our absolute rejection of all items included in the deal announced by Trump.
We confirm that accepting any plan that abdicates or gives up the rights of the Palestinian people or the Palestinian national constants is forbidden. Palestine and its just cause will never be compromised or divided. Palestine will never be a field from which US or Israeli officials can reap more voters in the coming elections.
Second: We reject all attempts to accept the US policy towards the Palestinian cause. We take a firm stance against the US strong, clear bias in favour of the Israeli occupation and all Judaization schemes, settlement projects, and violations against the Palestinian people, land, and sacred places.
Third: We warn against not taking the US deal seriously, participating in the implementation of the plan, and accepting it as a part of the status quo. This would let Trump pass his shameful plan.
If the deal passes, we consider this a shame and historic mistake that will never be forgiven by the Palestinian people who have been facing a criminal occupation for more than 70 years. Furthermore, Islamic peoples and free people of the world, who support the just cause of Palestine, will never forgive such a mistake.
Fourth: We adhere to Palestinian unity and hail the Palestinians’ insistence to face the “Deal of the Century” united. We stress that the Palestinian people have the right to self-defence, to defend its rights, to fulfill their aspirations of freedom of liberation of their land and sacred places, and to return to their home towns and villages from which they were expelled by the Israeli occupation after it committed crimes and massacres.
Fifth: We confirm that all options are open for the Palestinian people to face off the aggressive ‘Deal of the Century’ that targets the Palestinian existence: land, people, history, and Arab and Islamic identity.
The Palestinian people will face the challenges and plots steadfastly, as it has vanquished attempts to abolish its rights and constants throughout history. We will not let this deal pass and we will defend our land, constants, and sacred places, on the top of which is Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Palestinian people with all of their political spectrum are resilient on their land. They uphold the Palestinian constants and rights and determined to face the “Deal of the Century” united.
The Palestinian people, who face off the Israeli violations and terror acts by Israel settlers, are looking forward to your support at this historic moment, as you represent an important value for the Palestinians: you are their strategic supportive back.
We are looking forward to your support in this decisive battle until the Palestinian people restore their rights, liberate their lands, and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Ismail Haniyeh,
Head of Hamas Political Bureau.’
Meanwhile, Kairos Palestine, a leading Christian organisation in Palestine, has also condemned Trump’s the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ plan, describing it as ‘an insult to history, humanity, the Palestinian people, and the American dignity itself.’
In a statement it said the American-Israeli proposal is in fact premised on consolidating Israeli control over all of Palestine’s land, “making sure that the Palestinian people are subjected to this control, in return for economic promises that are closer to a deal for buying the people and their spirit with money.
‘This proposal seeks to legitimise the Israeli occupation and revoke the history of the Palestinian people and their legitimate inalienable rights, particularly the right of return for the Palestinian refugees and the right to self-determination in an attempt to eliminate the Palestinian question completely and definitively.’
The Kairos Palestine statement continued: ‘Jerusalem, the core of the conflict, cannot be declared by any human authority as being solely the capital of Israel. It is the capital of God and humankind as a whole, it is the capital for its Palestinian population as well. There can be no solution if that solution does not clearly reiterate the Palestinian right to the city.
‘In his declaration on Tuesday, President Trump did not offer anything towards this equality but rather consolidated further Israeli hegemony and the Palestinians’ subjugation to it. This means that the conflict will continue, bloodshed will continue, hatred and inhumane treatment will persist,’ added the organisation.
