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Hamas have condemned the Glasgow Airport attacks last week in a statement following the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston. In a statement from the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalid Mish'al they condemn attacks on Britain, Spain and other countries while calling for the release of 12,000 political prisoners held by Israel and the US: "We condemn the attempted attacks in London and Glasgow — as we have done in the past after attacks in Spain and the US. We could not be clearer: Hamas will not accept nor tolerate anyone exploiting the sacred cause of the Palestinian people to commit acts of murder and carnage around the world. Our strategy has always been and remains firmly based on the principle that the resistance should be fought only within Palestine." Leading Stop the War Activist and Solidarity member Angela McCormack welcomed the statement. Angela was part of a delegation from Glasgow who visited Lebanon last year on an invitation from the popular reistance in that country. She said: "We welcome this statement from Hamas and join with them in calling for the release of these prisoners and condemnation of the car bomb attack in Glasgow. I urge all Solidarity members to attend the rally in Glasgow tomorrow organised by the Glasgow mosques and stand together against terrorists and racist scapegoating of muslims." Scotland United Against Terror - assemble 1.30pm George Square Glasgow For the full statement from Hamas click below.
TOGETHER with all freedom loving peoples, we in the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas, shared the moment of sheer joy yesterday when Alan Johnston
stepped out of the darkness of captivity into the light of freedom.
We pay tribute to the stoic dignity with which the BBC correspondent in Gaza
bore his ordeal. We commend the patience and faith of his parents and all
the British, Palestinian and other people around the world who campaigned
and prayed for his release. From the outset, we committed ourselves to
securing his release. I entered into discussions with British officials,
shared information and gave assurances of our concerted efforts to secure
Alan's release.
The Palestinian people have been struggling for their freedom for almost a
century. In our own land we have been denied basic human rights by an
occupier that has enjoyed, under various spurious guises, international
support. As Alan Johnston returns home, we hope that the British, and people
the world over, reflect on the fact that more than 12,000 Palestinians are
languishing in Israeli jails, unjustly denied their freedom. They include
ministers of a democratically elected government, parliamentarians, women
and even children.
Like Alan, they all have loved ones who long to see them again. Many of
these hapless captives are their families' breadwinners. But the reality
today in occupied Palestine is that there is no bread to win because the
international community has imposed comprehensive sanctions on the
Palestinians, denying them even the most basic necessities for survival. All
of this is done to coerce us into accepting the occupier's terms.
Nowhere can a free people be made to surrender their historical and national
rights. Accordingly, Palestinians will continue to make every sacrifice
until we gain our freedom. In that endeavour, we are ready to work with all
who wish to pursue our people's just aims. We look to Britain's new prime
minister, Gordon Brown, to begin a constructive new chapter in our
relationship.
Many in the international community warned that the imposition of sanctions
would undermine security and bring chaos to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Their warnings were ignored. The kidnap and 114-day-long captivity of Alan
Johnston took place within a dysfunctional environment imposed from beyond
Palestinian borders.
Is it not absurd that a duly elected and constituted government should be
denied the authority, by external and internal forces, to control its
security services? Is it not bizarre, is it not scandalous, that a national
security force should itself become a mechanism for the spread of disorder?
Where else in the world today would an elected prime minister find that
persistent assassination attempts were allowed to pass without any security
measures taken? Where else would the known would-be assassins be allowed to
walk free? Where else would assailants and racketeers be given the licence
to attack at will? It is to address such chaos in Gaza that Hamas was
compelled to take charge.
It is in this context that we condemn the attempted attacks in London and
Glasgow — as we have done in the past after attacks in Spain and the US. We
could not be clearer: Hamas will not accept nor tolerate anyone exploiting
the sacred cause of the Palestinian people to commit acts of murder and
carnage around the world. Our strategy has always been and remains firmly
based on the principle that the resistance should be fought only within
Palestine.
We appreciate and commend the support given to our cause by international
civic society, and hope that support will continue in the pursuit of justice
and freedom for the people of Palestine.
Khalid Mish'al is head of the Hamas political bureau |
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