'Palestinians must not abandon rights'

Islam Times reports from AFP: "There is no mandate for any Palestinian leadership to infringe on Palestinian national rights, nor is there a mandate for any Palestinian actor to make historic concessions on Palestinian land or the right of the Palestinians, foremost among them the right of return," Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday in Gaza.

"Given this position, we reiterate our rejection of this bid," he said.

The Palestinian right of return is a principled political position stating that Palestinian refugees, both first-generation refugees and their descendants, have the right to return and a right to the property they or their forebears left behind or were forced to abandon in 1948 and again in 1967. Its applicability both generally and specifically to Palestinians is protected under international law.

Speaking to the meeting of the Palestinian legislative council, Haniyeh stated that the Islamic resistance movement would not, however, seek to disrupt the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s UN bid but would continue to support the establishment of a Palestinian state on any part of historical Palestine.

Gaza's democratically-elected prime minister stressed that Hamas would "not place obstacles in the way of the establishment of a Palestinian state with full sovereignty."

"We repeat today that we are with the establishment of a Palestinian state on any liberated part of the Palestinian land that is agreed upon by the Palestinian people, without recognizing Israel or conceding any inch of historical Palestine,” Haniyeh added.

His remarks came as acting PA Chief Mahmud Abbas headed to New York to submit a formal bid for UN membership for a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders at the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, which begins on September 20.

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said the Palestinian legislative council should approach the UN for the recognition of a Palestinian state based on all of the historical Palestinian lands.

PA says that more than 130 countries would recognize the state of Palestine, representing more than the two-thirds majority required in the 193-member UN General Assembly to accept Palestine as the world body's newest member state.