The Quran teaches that the Palestinians must “liberate” Israel “in its entirety,” a leading Hamas official declared.
Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a Hamas leader in Gaza, said that “removing the Jews from the land they occupied in 1948 is an immutable principle” appearing in the Quran. He stated that Hamas’ position is to seek control of “Palestine in its entirety, and not a grain of soil less.”
Speaking on Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV earlier this month, the terrorist leader stated that “Allah says (in the Quran): ‘And drive them out from wherever they have driven you out.’ How do the linguists interpret the word ‘from’? The Quran talks about driving you out ‘from where they have driven you out.’ From where did the Jews drives us out? From within the 1967 borders or the 1948 borders? From within the 1948 borders. So you should drive them out from within the 1948 borders, like they drove you out.”
“Hence, removing the Jews from the land they occupied in 1948 is an immutable principle, because it appears in the Book of Allah: ‘Drive them out from wherever they have driven you out,’” he stressed, according a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Al-Zahar advised Hamas and the Islamic Jihad never to suggest the 1967 borders as a possible compromise with Israel. “So in light of this verse, we say that our dispute with the Palestinian factions that talk about the 1967 borders is one pertaining to faith. On this issue, we base ourselves upon our religion, while you do not,” he clarified.
He was referring to other Palestinian factions that claim to accept the principle of negotiating a peace agreement with Israel on the basis of the 1667 borders. In his statements, Al-Zahar rejects any peace talks with Israel.
‘Kill Them Wherever You May Find Them’
“(The Quran says:) ‘They will enter the mosque as they entered it the first time.’ Entering the mosque means entering the capital, and entering the capital means liberating Palestine in its entirety, and the implementation of the decree: ‘Drive them out from wherever they have driven you out,’” he continued.
“We have liberated Gaza, part of Palestine, but I am not prepared to accept just Gaza… Our position is: Palestine in its entirety, and not a grain of soil less. (The Quran says:) ‘Kill them wherever you may find them‘ – Allah did not define the 1967 borders or the 1948 borders. We will fight them wherever we can – on the ground,underground, and if we have airplanes, we will fight them from the skies,” he concluded.
Al-Zahar, a co-founder of Hamas, serves as foreign minister in the Hamas government. He was seen as a major candidate to the Palestinian Legislative Council for prime minister at the time, as he was the most senior official within the organization.
Since the 1993 Oslo Accords, Al-Zahar has been a fierce critic of the Fatah-led peace process and pushed for reengagement with the Arab and Islamic worlds.
By: United with Israel Staff
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