Hamas leader outlines Resistance strategy at Beirut conference

The following summary is from remarks made by the chairperson of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, during the Strategic Thinking Forum held in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 21, 2024. The Resistance News Network published the remarks.

We will deal with any initiative that fulfills our demands to stop the war of genocide against our people. The head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas, the fighter Ismail Haniyeh, confirmed that the movement is open to dealing with “any paper or initiative that provides the foundations of the resistance’s position in the ceasefire negotiations.”

Haniyeh stressed that the movement has “the priority of stopping this criminal war against our people and considering common interests with the Axis of Resistance, whether in Lebanon and other fronts in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and the components of the nation.”

This came during a dialogue symposium on Friday, June 21, organized by the “Forum for Strategic Thinking,” which discussed: “Scenarios of confrontation with the entity / a war of attrition, a major war or a strategic truce in the context of the disintegration of the entity.”

Update on political negotiations

In his speech, Haniyeh addressed the latest developments in the political negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying, “Hamas has specific demands for a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal, reconstruction, prisoner exchange, relief for our people and everything related to the siege.”

He added that these demands are the demands of our people, the resistance and all the free people of the nation, that the movement is engaging in negotiations on the basis of these foundations, and it has reached the final stage since May 6 with its approval of the U.S.-backed Egyptian-Qatari paper, but the entity has again put comments on it that impact the essence of these demands.

Haniyeh warned that the entity’s negotiating strategy is based on mobilizing regional and international pressure to pressure Hamas to accept the “israeli” vision, which affects the foundations of Palestinian demands and that it set a political trap by imposing specific conditions that the resistance rejects.

On the other hand, Haniyeh said that the U.S. administration and its allies are managing the war and battle in Gaza alongside the Zionist entity after it suffered an “earthquake” on the seventh of last October.

Haniyeh stressed that Al-Aqsa Flood marked the drawing of new equations for the Palestinian cause and the region in general, pointing out that the current situation in linking calm on the resistance fronts in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen is the consecration of a new reality in the course of the conflict that was not present throughout the years of the establishment of the Zionist entity.

Haniyeh said that the ongoing “israeli” war on the Gaza Strip for the ninth consecutive month is “not only managed by the occupation army but also by the American administration and its allies from Western colonial forces.”

He pointed out that U.S. President Joe Biden personally chaired a meeting of the Israeli war council in a session that lasted seven hours to set goals for eliminating the resistance and Hamas, recovering prisoners, displacing the residents of the Gaza Strip and changing the security and political reality in the Strip.

Haniyeh noted that Washington and its allies quickly moved to protect the “israeli” entity, engaging in what they considered an existential war, because the attack on October 7 was an earthquake that shook the foundations and principles of the Zionist colonial project.

However, Haniyeh emphasized the failure of these objectives in the face of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their resistance, which has succeeded in imposing its rhythms and vision, because it represents the right, the struggle and the sacrifice for Palestinian rights.

Strategic results of Al-Aqsa Flood

He said the resistance demonstrated three main dimensions during its battle. First, it is based on a solid and unwavering doctrine.

Second, it involves planning, building power and capability, preparation and a strategy of accumulating power throughout the phases of the conflict.

He added that the third dimension lies in the strategic alliances the resistance has built with all components of the nation, with at its heart the states and forces active within the framework of the Axis of Resistance and their joint actions paved with blood and sacrifices across all these fronts and the entire nation.

Haniyeh confirmed that the current battle has witnessed horrors and costs not seen in any other phases of the struggle with the Zionist project historically, while the popular support for the resistance remains strong, raising the banner despite nine months of war.

Haniyeh emphasized that the continuous military support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza exerts direct and powerful pressure on the entity and its ally, the United States, and those with it.
Haniyeh highlighted three strategic results achieved by the Al-Aqsa Flood. The first is the restoration of the Palestinian cause to its rightful place, regaining its presence on regional and international agendas after being marginalized by some regional states and international parties, which had reduced it to an internal “israeli” matter.

He explained that the second result is that the defeat of the entity is a reality, not an illusion, and this could happen soon. The third result is the reunification of the nation around Palestine and its cause comprehensively, at a time when the Zionist entity suffers from internal cracks that will continue until its demise.

This statement was lightly edited.