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Following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on August 24, 2010:
Khaled Mash'al: I call upon President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak and King Abdallah II not to participate in the inauguration of these negotiations, because they lack Palestinian backing and national legitimacy, and because their catastrophic results will affect the interests and security of Jordan and Egypt, and the entire nation and region, and not only of Palestine. The elimination of the Palestinian cause will not be at the expense of the Palestinian people alone, but at the expense of the neighboring countries and peoples.
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The decisions and results of these negotiations are devoid of any legitimacy, and our people will not be bound by them in any way.
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I am calling to adopt an alternative national Palestinian strategy, based on consolidating the option of resistance, acquiring bargaining chips, diversifying our options, adhering to our national rights and principles, rebuilding the PLO, uniting the Palestinian ranks in support of this strategy, and mobilizing the capabilities of our people and our nation.
This is the alternative, and it is very realistic. What is unrealistic is the negotiations management – even according to the Western mindset, which invented realism and pragmatism.
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As I have said, these negotiations will be catastrophic if they fail, because they will have been a waste of time and energy, and will serve Israel, by improving its image and allowing it to establish facts on the ground.
If the negotiations are successful, Allah forbid – because the US and Israel would never allow this to be to our advantage – what will the result be? The victim will be the Right of Return. The refugees and the displaced would be the first to be targeted, followed by Jordan. This is only natural.
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