As part of Ismail Haniyeh‘s trip to Cairo, Egypt last week, the Hamas prime minister made a speech in the Al-Azhar Mosque. Throughout his speech, Haniyeh made sure to lash out at Israel and threaten the safety of its citizens. The crowd, inspired by Haniyeh, passionately repeats after him,
“we will not recognize Israel!”

Here’s a full transcription of the video:
They said to us: Recognize Israel, stop the resistance and respect the rules of the game based on oppression! And we said and declared it, we said it from Gaza and on the land of Palestine, and we now declare it from the pulpit of Al-Azhar mosque, and among this crowd gathered on the land of Egypt, that we will never ever ever recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
The leader Ismail said it–we will never recognize Israel!
We will never tire of continuing the resistance! On the contrary, the Israeli occupation is the one who is doomed!
There is no future for the occupation on the land of Palestine!
There is no future for the occupation on the land of Palestine!
And this resistance will continue!
In the past, Haniyeh has used his sermons to repeatedly emphasize the fact he does not recognize the “occupier of Palestine”, i.e. the State of Israel. He stresses the need to continue the violent and terroristic resistance against Israel and its citizens, until the country is forcefully pushed into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hamas PM:
“Hamas will lead Intifada after Intifada”

A flag, with the Shahadah, frequently used by Hamas

More than 100,000 Hamas supporters gathered in Gaza City’s al-Katiba park on December 14, 2011, to celebrate the 24th anniversary of Hamas’ creation.
Children in Hamas Festival in Gaza

Ismail Haniyeh, PM of the Hamas Government in the Gaza Strip, took part in the celebrations, and gave a speech which was also broadcasted in Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV in which he said:

“We say today, explicitly,…that the armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land…”
“The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing.”

These statements disprove once again the main claim made by Hamas’ leaders that its organization is a charity with their peoples’ best interest in mind. The Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, is an integral part of the Hamas organization. These statements reaffirm the basic ideology on which Hamas was founded – jihad is the only solution of the Palestinian issue and the world.

Full Video Transcription:

“We say today, explicitly, so it cannot be explained otherwise, that the armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river, and for the expulsion of the invaders and usurpers [Israel] from the blessed land of Palestine. The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing.

Allah Akbar and praise Allah.

We say with transparency and in a clear manner, that Palestinian reconciliation – and all sides must know this – cannot come at the expense of [our] principles, at the expense of the resistance. These principles are absolute and cannot be disputed: Palestine – all of Palestine – is from the sea to the river. We won’t relinquish one inch of the land of Palestine. The involvement of Hamas at any stage with the interim objective of liberation of [only] Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem, does not replace its strategic view concerning Palestine and the land of Palestine.”

Hamas leader Haniyeh: Goal is destruction of Israel

Hamas leader Haniyeh : Goal is destruction of Israel in stages.
Abbas :Hamas agrees to ’67 borders.

At a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh said that Hamas may work for the « interim objective of liberation of Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem, » but that this « interim objective » and « reconciliation » with Fatah will not change Hamas’ long-term « strategic » goal of eliminating all of Israel:

« The armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river, and for the expulsion of the invaders and usurpers [Israel]… We won’t relinquish one inch of the land of Palestine. »

In his speech, Haniyeh also promised that Hamas will « lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing. Allah Akbar and praise Allah. »

Two days later, contradicting Haniyeh’s statements, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said that Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mashaal had agreed that:

– « There will be no military resistance. »
– « The permanent solution is on the ’67 borders. »

According to Abbas, Hamas agrees to a permanent solution on the ’67 borders. However, Haniyeh said that Hamas agrees to a temporary solution on the ’67 borders as a first stage only.
For many years, the PLO promoted a « stages plan » that would first create a Palestinian state on the 1949 – 1967 armistice lines, and then work from that position to destroy Israel.
Senior Fatah official Abbas Zaki recently stated that this remains the goal for Fatah as well, but that « you can’t say it to the world. You can say it to yourself. »

The following are longer excerpts of the statements mentioned above:

Speech by Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas at ceremony marking 24th anniversary of the founding of Hamas:

« We welcome you today, on this anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas, as you renew the promise and oath of loyalty with Allah, with His Messenger and with His believers; you are renewing the loyalty to the blood of the Martyrs and the path of resistance and Jihad upon the blessed land of Palestine…

Hamas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We say today, explicitly, so it cannot be explained otherwise, that the armed resistance and the armed struggle are the path and the strategic choice for liberating the Palestinian land, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river, and for the expulsion of the invaders and usurpers [Israel] from the blessed land of Palestine. The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing. Allah Akbar and praise Allah. We say with transparency and in a clear manner, that Palestinian reconciliation – and all sides must know this – cannot come at the expense of [our] principles, at the expense of the resistance. These principles are absolute and cannot be disputed: Palestine – all of Palestine – is from the sea to the river. We won’t relinquish one inch of the land of Palestine. The involvement of Hamas at any stage with the interim objective of liberation of [only] Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem, does not replace its strategic view concerning Palestine and the land of Palestine. »