The head of the Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Thursday that his government is more willing in 2014 to strengthen relations with Egypt and other Arab and Islamic countries.
In a speech during a graduation ceremony at Gaza's military academy, Haniyeh described Egypt as “the advocate of the people and the Palestinian cause.”
“We are ready to address all the issues that solidify the relationship between us and our Arab and Muslim brothers,” he added. “We are in a balanced relation with Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran, and we have relations with Russia and other countries.”
Hamas had recently announced its pride in belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt has dubbed as a ‘terrorist’ group. Some Hamas members face charges in Egypt for allegedly helping members of the Brotherhood to attack prisons in order to help prisoners escape during the January 2011 revolution.
Edited translation from MENA
