Haniyeh Criticized After Calling Soleimani 'Martyr of Jerusalem'

 Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech in Gaza City January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech in Gaza City January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
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Haniyeh Criticized After Calling Soleimani 'Martyr of Jerusalem'

 Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech in Gaza City January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh gestures as he delivers a speech in Gaza City January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, has sparked widespread controversy after he described the commander of the IRGC Al-Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by the United States in Iraq last Friday, as a “martyr of Jerusalem.”

“The martyr Commander Soleimani spent his life in order to support the resistance while he was at the head of Al-Quds Force,” Haniyeh said in a speech before mourners in Tehran.

In the speech translated into Persian, Haniyeh repeatedly said that Soleimani was the “martyr of Jerusalem”. Activists, intellectuals and Brotherhood officials rejected the remarks, criticizing Hamas’ positions.

Many anti-Iran figures, inside and outside Hamas and in the Arab world, rejected Haniyeh’s participation in the funeral and disapproved his statements.

Ibrahim Hamami, a writer and researcher of the leading defenders of Hamas, wrote in response to Haniyeh: “No, he is not the martyr of Jerusalem.”

He said the Hamas official’s words were “more than dangerous.”

Controversial reactions spread on social networking sites. This came despite the fact that Haniyeh had ordered Hamas officials to avoid delving into the issue of Soleimani, “given the situation is very sensitive.”

Haniyeh said in Tehran: “The project of the resistance in the land of Palestine and in the region will not weaken and not back down… the assassinations will increase our strength, steadfastness and determination to proceed in order to liberate Jerusalem and liberate the will of this nation.”



Egypt Reiterates Rejection of Regional Conflict Expansion

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Photo: Egyptian Presidency
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Photo: Egyptian Presidency
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Egypt Reiterates Rejection of Regional Conflict Expansion

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Photo: Egyptian Presidency
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Photo: Egyptian Presidency

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has reiterated his rejection of any “expansion of the cycle of conflict in the region” as Israel and Iran engage in open warfare for a fourth day.

Sisi received on Sunday a phone call from Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said.

He stated that the call focused on regional developments, and Sisi stressed Egypt’s “categorical rejection to any expansion of the cycle of conflict in the region, underscoring the crucial importance of ending Israel’s military operations across all regional fronts.”

Sisi warned that the continuation of the war will inflict grave harm on all peoples of the region.

He stressed the importance of the international community assuming a more effective role in compelling regional parties to act responsibly, saying “peaceful solutions remain the sole viable means to ensure security and stability in the region.”

According to Shennawy, Sisi underlined the urgent need to resume the US-Iranian negotiations in Oman, which represents the best solution to the current tension.

He reiterated Egypt's unequivocal stance to establish a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.

Sisi also stressed that a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian cause remains the sole guarantor for achieving enduring peace and stability in the Middle East.

This necessitates an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital.