28 March 2002
In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful
Press Release
On the closing statement of the Arab summit
Held in Beirut on 27-28 March 2002AD
A responsible source in the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas stated the following:
The summit’s final statement included a number of positive aspects that displayed the Ummah’s leaders praise and support of our Palestinian people’s intifada and steadfastness and differentiated between terrorism and resistance. The summit also witnessed an atmosphere of détente as far as the Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations were concerned.
However, we are convinced that the Zionist enemy would reject the peace initiative adopted at the Arab summit and we are sure that this enemy would not submit to our people and Ummah’s rights unless through resistance.
We would like to affirm the following essential issues in the light of our remarks on the closing statement:
1-The great role played by the Palestinian resistance in defending its people, lands and holy shrines along with the Palestinian unanimous backing to that resistance necessitated a frank Arab summit expression of support to the Palestinian resistance with all forms and not to limit the vocal expressions to the intifada but rather the resistance and intifada.
2-The right of return is a sacred right that we insist on and call for its full implementation. We ask the Arab and Islamic Ummah along with the international community to enable our people exercise that right and not to refer it to negotiations or to implement it via understandings and agreements with the Zionist enemy.
3-The resettlement of refugees should be rejected in principle not only through linking it to the special status of host Arab countries. The rejection of the resettlement of refugees should be coupled with the assertion on the right of return for the refugees and the displaced.
4-Restoring the Arab countries’ rights and only part of the Palestinian rights do not entail declaring an end to the Arab-Zionist conflict and do not guarantee the enemy’s security or allow normalization with it for it will continue to be an aggressive entity.
5-Our people and our Ummah’s masses still demand from their leaders and governments to sever all established ties or normalization with the enemy and not just to refrain from establishing new relations.
The Islamic Resistance Movement
Hamas – Palestine
Thursday 14th Muharram 1423H
28th March 2002AD
