U.S. may recognize Israel as Jewish state: Ismail Haniyeh

CAIRO – 23 December 2017: “The U.S. may recognize Israel as a Jewish state soon,” said Hamas’s Political Bureau Chief, Ismail Haniyeh, during a speech at a local scientific convention in Gaza on Saturday.

Haniyeh added that Hamas had obtained information that Washington may take new decisions regarding Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause. “We have information that the US administration may recognize Israel as a Jewish state, annex settlements and abolish the Palestinian right to return.”

Haniyeh did not provide an explanation as to where he got this information, but he called on Arab and Muslim nations to prepare new strategies as a prelude to the upcoming American decision, expected to be announced in the near future.

"The Palestinian Authority is requested to take a clear position regarding the Oslo Peace Accords and security coordination with Israel," Haniyeh said according to an official statement released by Hamas on Saturday.

In the statement, Haniyeh stressed that Jerusalem would remain the capital of Palestine, adding that, "Every step taken by the Israeli occupation is invalid."

“Israel is not a state to be officially recognized and Jerusalem will never be its capital city,” Haniyeh stressed during his speech.


Al-Aqsa Mosque, Israel to inaugurate a new synagogue underneath Al-Aqsa Mosque, 19 December, 2017- Egypt Today

On December 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington would be recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, stressing that the U.S. would relocate their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The move was hailed by Israel but condemned by the majority of the international community, as it undermines peace talks.

Heavy clashes broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem’s Old City (al-Khalil), Bethlehem and Nablus in the West Bank as well as the besieged Gaza Strip, after Washington's decision.

People in different countries have also taken to the streets to protest Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

On Tuesday, Palestine’s Safa news agency revealed that Israeli planned to inaugurate a synagogue near Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall).

On Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly passed a non-binding resolution condemning Trump’s decision and called on states not to move their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.