Archive for Ismail Haniyeh

Katatny to head delegation to Gaza Monday

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November 18th, 2012

The Freedom and Justice Party called on members of all political currents to join a delegation to the Gaza Strip Monday, led by party head Saad al-Katatny, to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against ongoing Israeli attacks.

The delegation would return to Cairo on the same day, the Muslim Brotherhood website quoted the party's media adviser Mourad Ali as saying. 

So far, former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi, former MP Amr Hamzawy, media personality Yousry Fouda and poet Sayed Hegab have all announced theit participation, the website added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would arrive in Egypt on Monday for talks with Morsy and other officials, Reuters quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying on Sunday. Although the ministry did not give further details about the content of the discussions, it is expected that the UN chief will discuss Egyptian efforts to broker an agreement to end Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil visited Gaza on Friday and met with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to show the Egyptian regime's solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. The new government under President Mohamed Morsy has been working to improve Egypt's relations with the group, which were tense under the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip, which it dubbed "Pillar of Defense" in English-language media, last Wednesday. It has killed 51 people, including 14 children, and injured hundreds in an onslaught of bombings from the air and the sea. Three Israelis were killed Thursday when a Hamas rocket hit an Israeli town 15 miles north of Gaza.

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Republican Guard to secure Qatar emir’s visit to Gaza

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October 22nd, 2012

The Egyptian Republican Guard would be responsible for securing Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, his wife, and their accompanying delegation, which includes three ministers and 61 public figures, to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, a senior security source said Monday.

Sinai activist Mosaad Abu Fagr wrote earlier on Facebook that the Qatari Emiri Guard would be responsible for security on both the Egyptian and the Palestinian sides.

The Turkish Anadolu news agency also said that security affiliated with the Egyptian presidency on Sunday took over the security of the airport and the crossing, and that the local authorities, the media and the tribal elders were notified that the presidency is responsible for the arrangements of the visit.

Sheikh Thani is arriving Tuesday morning to Arish Airport, which underwent a complete renovation in preparation for his visit. Twelve buses carrying equipment have already arrived at the crossing, Anadolu said, and a Qatari plane landed at the airport on Sunday.

Airport security refused to divulge the identity of the passengers or the type of equipment, however.

The Emir and his wife are scheduled to board an Egyptian helicopter to the crossing, then take a motorcade to spend six hours in Gaza before they return to Doha.

On the Palestinian side, Hamas ordered the municipalities to clean the streets and place banners welcoming the Emir and his wife.

Sheikh Thani and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will hold a press conference, then go to the city of Khan Younis in the south to inaugurate Hamad City, which cost around US$62 million, part of US$254 million Doha allocated to the reconstruction of the enclave and the Hamad Hospital for Artificial Limbs for Children.

The Emir is the first Arab head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Israel called the visit “strange,” and preempted it with raids on Gaza that resulted in the death of two Palestinians and the wounding of four others.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Egypt rejects free trade zone along Gaza border

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September 27th, 2012

Egypt has officially rejected a Hamas-proposed free trade zone along the border with Gaza, pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi quoted official Palestinian sources as saying Thursday.

Prime Minister Hesham Qandil told Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip who visited Cairo last week, of Egypt's decision, the sources said.

Qandil reportedly said the free trade zone would isolate Gaza as an independent entity from the rest of the Palestinian territories.

The same sources said the Egyptian government fears that Israel would exploit a free trade zone as a way to push Gaza's economic problems onto Egypt.

The newspaper also quoted Nimer Hammad, an advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, as saying that Egypt has informed Hamas of the decision.

“Our brothers in Egypt know the risks of the issue of the Gaza Strip being directed to Egypt,” Hammad was quoted as saying.

The proposed zone would have extended 1 km into Gaza and 8 km into Egypt.

“It is not about money,” Hammad said, adding that any free zone would require strategic thinking.

If established, the free trade zone would have become an alternative to the underground tunnels used to illegally smuggle goods into Gaza, which has been sealed off by Israel since 2007.

Egypt increased efforts to destroy the tunnels after an attack that killed 16 Egyptian security officers and border guards in early August and raised concerns about Sinai security.

Haniyeh had told Egyptian officials earlier this month that his government was ready to close all tunnels if border crossings were opened or a free trade zone established.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 

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Rafah crossing opens for Hamas PM following controversial Cairo visit

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September 21st, 2012

 

The Rafah border crossing was exceptionally opened on Friday to allow for the passage of Gaza Strip Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation back home following their visit to Egypt this week.

Haniyah arrived in Cairo on 17 September with a delegation of 21 Hamas officials and ministers to meet with their Egyptian counterparts regarding living conditions in the Gaza Strip, and possibilities for reconciliation between Palestinian political factions. Seven of the officials returned to Gaza on Thursday, including Gaza Strip Interior Minister Fathi Hammad.

Saleh Raafat, head of the executive office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, criticized Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil’s meetings with Hamas figures. He suggested that the talks between Qandil and Haniyeh regarding security and economic issues send the wrong message to Hamas, and could encourage a permanent rift between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority is dominated by the Fatah party, which controls the West Bank, while Hamas governs the Gaza Strip.

Raafat called on the Egyptian government to stop cut ties with Haniyeh, stating that Mahmoud Abbas is the only legitimate president of Palestine.

The Palestinian Authority issued a statement last week criticizing other countries receiving Haniyeh, claiming these meetings damage efforts at Palsetinian reconciliation.

Hamas spokesperson Taher al-Nunu responded by claiming that Raafat's statements were the real cause of dissent amongst the Palestinian people.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Haniyeh visit strains Egypt-Palestinian relations

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September 18th, 2012

Tensions between Egypt and the Palestinian Authority have emerged after Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil received the head of the government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh.

The Palestinian Authority is dominated by Fatah and controls the West Bank, while Fatah's archrivals Hamas control the Gaza Strip.

Head of the executive office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Saleh Raafat, criticized the top-level meetings with Hamas figures. He suggested that talks between Qandil and Haniyeh on Monday about security and economic issues send the wrong message to the Hamas leadership. He claimed that it would encourage them to effect a permanent separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Raafat called on the Egyptian government to stop holding talks with Haniyeh and his accompanying delegation. He reiterated his belief that there is only one legitimate Palestinian president, and that is Mahmoud Abbas.

The Palestinian Authority also issued a statement last week criticizing countries receiving Haniyeh, claiming that it damages efforts at reconciliation.

Hamas government spokesperson, Taher al-Nunu, said that Raafat's statements themselves entrench conflict amongst the Palestinian people.

Egyptian security sources revealed that head of intelligence, Raafat Shehata, met on Tuesday with a Hamas delegation headed by top Hamas figure Khaled Mashaal to discuss a Palestinian reconciliation deal.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Gaza PM says tunnels would be closed if borders were open

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September 6th, 2012

Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Gaza, said on Thursday that his government is ready to close all tunnels at the border with Egypt if border crossings are opened or a free trade zone is established.

At a meeting with an Egyptian delegation including figures from several political currents, Haniyeh said, “We had to resort to the tunnels after Israel besieged Gaza,” describing the tunnels as “the artery of life for the Gaza Strip.”

The Egyptian delegation’s visit to Gaza has significance and emphasizes the Egyptian role in supporting the Palestinian case, he said.

Haniyeh condemned the attack on Egyptian security guards in Rafah which led to the death of 16, adding that those who perpetrated the assault wanted to drive a wedge between Egyptians and Palestinians.

He added that the attack failed to achieve its goals, though, and emphasized that the security of Egypt is connected to that of Palestine and its people.

Haniyeh said his government is ready to cooperate with Egypt to protect Egyptian national security, which he said is the security of all Arabs.

The Egyptian delegation, made up of 11 figures from across the political spectrum, arrived in Gaza on Tuesday to express solidarity with Palestinian resistance and is expected to leave on Saturday.

Edited translation from MENA

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Hamas leader: Palestinians not interested in settling in Sinai

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August 19th, 2012

 

Head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday that Palestinians do not intend to leave their country nor intend to settle in Sinai.

During his Eid sermon, Haniyeh said that the Palestinians will hold on to Gaza. “We will not settle in Sinai or anywhere East or West,” he said. “Gaza is an integral part of Palestine. No to an alternative homeland, migration or resettlement.”

Concerns that Gaza Palestinians would be resettled in Sinai to repopulate the deserted peninsula, which has housed pockets of radical militancy, have been coupled with both Egyptians and Palestinians repeatedly expressing their lack of interest in such a solution.

Haniyeh stressed that the will of the Palestinian people in Gaza is not broken. They have not made concessions, he said, even under the unjust siege.

He expressed his government's willingness to cooperate with Egypt to protect the common interests.

Haniyeh offered the condolences of the government and the people of Palestine to Egypt after an attack on a checkpoint near the border town of Rafah led to the death of 16 Egyptian soldiers and the injury of seven others.

Haniyeh called on Palestinians to think well of the Arab and Islamic peoples, saying that peoples have nothing to do with the policies of ruling regimes.

Edited translation from MENA

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Hamas urges Egypt to open border shut since Sinai attack

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August 10th, 2012

GAZA — The head of the Hamas government in Gaza urged Egypt on Thursday to open a vital border crossing closed since gunmen killed 16 Egyptian guards in neighboring Sinai on Sunday.

Ismail Haniyeh pledged his support for Egypt's investigations of the attack, which has led to the biggest Egyptian military assault in the Sinai Peninsula in nearly 40 years.

"At the same time I call upon my brother, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy to open the Rafah crossing, to regain a lifeline for Gaza," Haniyeh said at a dinner ending the daylong Ramadan fast.

"Gaza could never be anything but a source of stability for Egypt," Haniyeh added, saying those responsible for the Sinai slayings were conspiring to tighten an Israeli blockade on Gaza in force since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.

Gaza's Islamist rulers have ruled out suggestions that Palestinian gunmen took part in the Sinai massacre, and have criticized Cairo for imposing "collective punishment" on the impoverished coastal enclave.

The Rafah crossing normally sees some 800 people a day leave for Egypt and beyond, and is the only window on the world for the vast majority of Gazans.

The Hamas Interior Ministry in Gaza said Egypt had agreed to a limited reopening of the border, which would permit hundreds of Gaza residents stranded in Sinai to cross back into the coastal territory on Friday. But nobody would be permitted to reach Egypt from Gaza.

"The Rafah crossing will be open on Friday for returnees," the statement said.

No one has claimed responsibility for Sunday's assault, in which the assailants seized two armored vehicles to storm an Israeli border crossing. One made it through before the attackers were killed by Israeli fire. The incident was the deadliest along the Israeli-Sinai border in decades.

In addition to challenging the durability of a 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty already strained by Western ally Hosni Mubarak's fall from power last year, the violence also raised questions about ties between Egypt's nascent Muslim Brotherhood-led government and Hamas in Gaza.

Egyptian officials suggested initially that Palestinian gunmen were involved in the Sinai attack.

Haniyeh denied this, arguing that the attack's "prime beneficiary was the occupation," a common shorthand for Israel by Hamas officials whose ideology rejects Israel's existence as a Jewish state.

"Gaza is innocent of this crime. Neither our investigations nor our contacts have proven so far anyone from Gaza was involved," Haniyeh said.

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Haniyeh: Morsy agreed to increase passengers through Rafah

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July 28th, 2012

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas government in Gaza, said Saturday that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has agreed to several resolutions that will improve conditions in the Gaza Strip.

In statements published by Gaza local newspaper Palestine, Haniyeh said he and Morsy agreed that the Rafah border crossing's working hours will increase to 12 hours per day.

This will increase the number of travelers from Gaza to 1,500 per day, and help to absorb all the Palestinians coming from abroad.

He said that Egypt will also work to increase the number of Egyptian workers at the border crossing to facilitate the movement of travelers.

Haniyeh had met with Morsy on Thursday in Cairo, where they also agreed that Egypt would stop deporting Gazans. 

Hamas on Friday hailed Haniyeh's meeting with Morsy, saying it represented a "turning point" in relations. 

"The meeting … constitutes a real turning point in bilateral relations," Haniyeh's spokesman in Gaza, Taher al-Nunu, said in a statement.

Haniyeh's visit came a week after Morsy met with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal and days after Palestinian officials said Egypt had eased visa requirements for Gazans under 40.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since routing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah from the territory in 2007, hoped Morsy's election victory would strengthen its position. 

Gaza, which neighbors Israel and Egypt, has been under semi-blockade by both countries since Hamas took over the enclave. Mubarak eased the blockade under pressure in 2010, but did not allow commercial traffic through the Rafah border crossing as Hamas had hoped. 

Morsy has said that he will not favor either Hamas or Fatah as Egypt attempts to reconcile them.

Haniyeh said that he also agreed with Morsy that the power outages crisis in Gaza can be resolved over three phases. The amount of fuel needed to run the only power plant in the Gaza Strip will be increased, and the energy will increase from 22 to 30 megawatts. A gas supply pipeline will also be established.

“It was agreed that the number of trucks carrying Qatari fuel will be increased from 6 to 10 trucks a day into the Gaza Strip,” Haniyeh said.

He said that re-opening Egypt's consulate in the Gaza Strip has been discussed. The consulate was closed after Hamas took over. It has been suggested that a diplomatic delegation be sent there to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians by facilitating their dealings with Cairo.

Haniyeh said that his government respects the sovereignty of Egypt, and the rules of entry and exit to and from Egypt. “We cannot provide any cover for any chaos in Sinai or any other part of ​​Egypt,” he said.

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Hamas hails Haniyeh-Morsy meet

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July 27th, 2012

Hamas on Friday hailed the meeting between its leader in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, and Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, saying it represented a "turning point" in relations.

"The meeting between [prime minister Haniyeh] and the Egyptian president constitutes a real turning point in bilateral relations," Haniyeh's spokesperson in Gaza, Taher al-Nunu, said in a statement.

The Thursday meeting in Cairo "touched on strategic issues, and bodes of a future of joint work," Nunu said.

"The prime minister is comfortable with the results of his meeting with Morsy," Nunu said.

Haniyeh's visit to Cairo, a week after Morsy met with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, came days after Palestinian officials said Egypt had eased visa requirements for Gazans under 40.

Last week, Haniyeh had hailed the meeting between Morsy and Meshaal as a "fruit of the revolution" that overthrew Morsy's predecessor Hosni Mubarak early last year. Hamas is an offshoot of Morsy's Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 after routing Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah from the territory neighboring Israel and Egypt, hoped Morsy's election victory would strengthen its position.

Gaza has been under semi-blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took over the enclave. Mubarak eased the blockade under pressure in 2010, but did not allow commercial traffic through the Rafah border crossing as Hamas had hoped.

Morsy met Abbas and Meshaal last week, after saying that he would not favor either of their factions as Egypt attempts to reconcile them.

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