Senior Hamas member Mahmoud al-Zahar dismissed a statement made by Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal, who claimed recently that the group will hold mass rallies against Israel within the Gaza Strip.So in this one brief news story we confirm three things that "Middle East experts" insist are not true:
"Popular resistance is inappropriate for the Gaza Strip," al-Zahar said. "Against whom exactly would be rally? Such resistance would be fitting if Gaza was occupied." However, he claimed that all forms of resistance – including the armed kind – are appropriate for the West Bank, as it is "still under occupation." (Elior Levy)
- Hamas has not given up on armed resistance
- Hamas leaders in Gaza and Damascus are still at loggerheads
- Gaza is not occupied by Israel
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch insist, against all legal arguments and logic, that Israel still occupies Gaza.
(h/t CHA. Interview done by Ma'an.)