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The head of the Hamas office in the diaspora, Khaled Meshaal, said on Wednesday that Palestine is the central issue of the Muslim Ummah, and normalisation of ties with Israeli occupation is “absolute evil,” Safa news agency has reported.

He made his comment at the first forum of the Young Pioneers of the Islamic World held in Istanbul, where he called for Muslim youth to protect their countries and help their nations. The senior Hamas official also called for young people to be partners in the resistance against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, as well as the liberation of the land. Young Muslim from more than 40 countries were in attendance.

“Hamas exerts its utmost efforts to resist the occupation and develop its abilities to achieve its goal – the liberation of Palestine,” Meshaal told the audience. “The movement strikes a balance between its principles and interests. Hamas does not bargain on its identity and values.” He pointed out that although the movement is not infallible, “it learns from its mistakes, corrects itself and develops its work.”

Offering advice to the ruling parties in the Arab and Muslim world, Meshaal said that they should “build partnerships inside their countries in order to achieve everyone’s interests and reduce the possibilities of external interference.”

In closing, Meshaal condemned Western hypocrisy, which was obvious to all when Russia invaded Ukraine and the West hailed Ukrainian resistance against Russia while still regarding legitimate Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation to be “terrorism”.

Source: Middle East Monitor