Israel attempts to establish strong foothold near Iran

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, has emphasized that the Israeli regime is attempting to establish a strong military and economic foothold in areas near the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"We know how they think. We would like to tell our brothers in the UAE that they will lose as a result of those agreements because Israel’s only interest is to seek a military and economic foothold in areas close to Iran. They will use your country as their doorstep," Ismail Haniyeh stated in his recent interview with Middle East Eye.

Referring to the normalization of ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, Ismail Haniyeh remarked: "In addition to Turkey, Iran, Qatar, and the Palestinian resistance groups, there are some other states, such as Pakistan, and also Algeria, who has announced their objection.

"Whoever rejects normalization can be a member of the coalition," he commented.

"The deal between Israel and the Emiratis poses a threat to Egypt. Any deal an Arab country makes with Israel will eventually threaten that country. Egypt’s role with the Palestinian cause in general and Gaza, in particular, is historic. There are a number of basic considerations governing our relationship with Egypt: first of all history and geography," he added.

"A significant part of Egypt’s regional role is linked to the Palestinian cause and because Egypt is so involved with domestic Palestinian affairs it is compelled to have a relationship with Hamas. The issues of reconciliation, prisoner exchange, all of these things, Hamas is part of them, so Egypt cannot avoid Hamas," The Palestinian leader stated.

"There are also considerations of national security. Gaza is part of Egypt’s national security; therefore, Egypt needs Gaza to be stable for its own sake and it is also good for trade. All these factors govern the relationship. Egypt is one of the central countries in the region and for that reason, Hamas needs to maintain a stable relationship with it. The central countries in this region are Egypt, Iran, and Turkey. They are centrally positioned because of geographic and mutual interest and by virtue of the needs of security," the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau added.

"The Zionist project is an expansionist project. Its objective is to create a greater Israel. We don’t want to see the Emiratis or the Bahrainis or the Sudanese being used as a means for this project. History will show no mercy, the people will not forget, and humanitarian law will not forgive," he emphasized.

007