Gaza – SABA
A member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, Hussam Badran, confirmed on Monday that U.S. envoy Steve Wietkov and the Israeli occupation are negotiating with each other, and that no new proposals are currently on the table. He denied that there is any active negotiation round involving Palestinian factions at this time.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Mubasher, Badran said that it was the Israeli side that withdrew from the last round of negotiations, despite understandings being reached through mediators. He emphasized that the delay and backtracking came from the Israeli side, not the Palestinian one, and that the terms agreed upon were reasonable and could have formed a solid foundation for progress.
He clarified that negotiation delegations are not currently active, although communication is still ongoing through intermediaries. He stressed that “the ball is now in Israel’s and the U.S. side’s court.”
Regarding the resistance’s weapons, Badran asserted that they do not belong to Hamas alone, but to all Palestinian factions and to the Palestinian people. He emphasized that this issue is an internal Palestinian matter and cannot be negotiated externally. He added, “If we are granted a fully sovereign Palestinian state, then the resistance’s weapons will become part of the state’s official army.”
Badran considered the push to disarm the resistance a deceptive attempt to mislead the international community, especially in light of ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank. He concluded that the weapons of the resistance are directly tied to ending the Israeli aggression and establishing a real Palestinian state—not to empty political declarations or symbolic recognition that change nothing on the ground.
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