Hamas hails Tunisian court ruling against Israeli visit
Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has welcomed a Tunisian court ruling banning the entry of an Israeli delegation into Tunisia.
The delegation was scheduled to take part in the conference of World Forum Interfaith Dialogue Ambassadors, due to be held on Nov. 4-8.
But on Friday, the Tunis-based Court of First Instance ruled to prevent the Israeli delegation from entering the country to attend the event.
“We appreciate the great Tunisian people and all the Tunisian organizations that worked hard for allowing the issuance of this decision,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Twitter.
The issue was brought to the court by the National Commission for the Support of Arab Resistance, an NGO, the Republican Party and the People's Movement against the country's Tunisian Scouts -- the forum's organizers.
They demanded that the Israeli delegation or any Israeli citizenship holder be prevented from being hosted or participating in the forum.
Palestinian resistance group Hamas has demanded that Britain apologize for the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which paved the way for the creation of Israel -- and the dispossession of the Palestinians -- in 1948.Hamas issued its demand on Friday, which coincided with the infamous document’s 101st anniversary.The Balfour Declaration was a letter sent by Britain’s then foreign secretary, Arthur James Balfour, to Lord Walter Rothschild, a prominent Zionist leader, on Nov. 2, 1917.Palestinian resistance factions vow to continue Gaza Strip ralliesIn the letter, Balfour declares his government’s support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.In a Friday statement, Hamas demanded a British apology for the fateful document.“Britain must apologize to the Palestinian people [for the Balfour Declaration and subsequent creation of Israel] and allow for the repatriation of refugees displaced from historical Palestine,” the statement read.Hamas went on to stress the Palestinian people’s “right to resist the [Israeli] occupation until they have achieved their objective of total liberation”.The resistance group, which has governed the blockaded Gaza Strip since 2007, also reiterated its longstanding rejection of any political or diplomatic normalization with Israel.PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat, for his part, likewise called on Britain to apologize for the declaration.“Britain must atone for its historic mistake and… offer an official apology to our people, recognize our state, and hold Israel accountable for its ongoing occupation and crimes,” Erekat said in a statement."More than a hundred years ago, Britain facilitated the process of ethnic cleansing in Palestine and, in flagrant violation of the values of international justice, celebrated [the 100th anniversary of] this occasion last year," he said.Erekat added: "The Balfour Declaration continues to inspire the occupation government to pursue its policy of ethnic cleansing with a view to ending the Palestinian presence [in historical Palestine].”Palestine's Hamas urges Brazil to revoke Jerusalem decision
Hamas demands Britain apologize for Balfour Declaration
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has called on Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro to revoke his decision to relocate the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.“We reject the Brazilian president-elect’s decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” leading Hamas member Sami Abu Zuhri tweeted Friday.He went on to describe the Brazilian leader’s decision as “an affront to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nation”.Bolsonaro on Thursday announced his intention to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem once he formally assumes the presidency.Israeli police arrest 13 ultra-Orthodox JewsU.S. President Donald Trump sparked a world outcry last December after announcing plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel’s capital (which he did earlier this year).Ever since, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah has rejected any U.S. role in the moribund Middle East peace process.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.Palestine’s Abbas, Egypt’s Sisi to hold talks Saturday
Palestine's Hamas urges Brazil to revoke Jerusalem decision