Refugees: the Principle Issue of Palestine

Rafit Nasir, a member of the political wing of Hamas, severely condemned the latest statements of Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the PLO in which he disregarded the right of return. Nasir stated that the refugees are the most important Palestinian issue and there is no way of solving the issue other than return. He emphasized that the right of return is a holy right and an individual-social right and that nobody has the right to disregard it. Any agreements made in this area are invalid and are not necessary for any Palestinian to observe.

In regards to the national talks in Palestine, he said that the only path of success would be to look into foundational issues such as correcting the organization of free Palestine, correcting the organization of security forces implementing nationalistic guidelines, and returning lost credibility to Palestinian institutions and organizations.

In regards to the presidential term of Mahmoud Abbas which will end in a couple of months, Nasir said that any one sided movement is outside of the national agreement and is in opposition to the constitution. It is never in favor of a national debate and nobody should act or take positions which would destroy talks before they start. Everyone must respect the law and consider themselves as the implementers of the law.