Hamas calls for national strategy to 39protect uprising39
Date
10/28/2015 3:43:43 AM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) The Hamas movement said Tuesday that the Palestinian people need a national strategy to "protect and escalate" what it termed the "Jerusalem uprising."
A statement by the group quoted a speech given by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Lebanon on Sunday.
"We are ready for unity on all levels political and in the field and to agree on a national strategy to protect the uprising and restore Palestinian rights and national constants"Haniyeh said.
During the speech the Hamas leader stressed national unity and warned of "US and international attempts to abort the Jerusalem uprising noting that no power on earth can quell the uprising that is set for dignity freedom and liberation."
He added that the recent upsurge in resistance had "shuffled the cards and hit defeatists" and criticized international negotiations for "providing cover to the Israeli occupation."
Haniyah concluded his speech by reiterating that Gaza will continue its support for "Jerusalem Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem's Intifada."
While the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority has called for calm the Hamas movement has been one of the most vocal supporters of a continued uprising. Following heightened tensions due to restrictions around the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound the situation escalated onOct. 1 when suspected Palestinians shot and killed two Israeli settlers in the northern occupied West Bank leaving the couple's four children unharmed in the back seat.
The night following the shootings Israeli settlers set off on a series of revenge attacks against Palestinian civilians and Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian Territories launched protests that are still ongoing and daily.
Palestinians have also taken to committing lone-wolf knife attacks on Israeli forces settlers and civilians.
At least 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinians attacks since the start of the month while 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.
At least 30 of those killed were shot dead by Israeli forces during alleged knife attacks though many the so-called attacks have resulted in no injuries and Israeli forces have been criticized by rights groups as committing "extrajudicial killings."