Palestinian VP says peaceful resistance is path to statehood, urges Hamas to disarm

The best path to achieving a Palestinian state is through peaceful resistance, not armed struggle, Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh told Al Arabiya on Sunday, urging Hamas to lay down its arms.

In an interview, al-Sheikh noted that internal divisions have politicized the issue of weapons.

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The Palestinian Authority “is in contact with Hamas… and we are currently having a dialogue with the movement,” al-Sheikh said referring to the militant group that is currently at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas should let go of its arms and agree to a single authority,” he added.

Last month, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appointed al-Sheikh, a close aide, as the first ever vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Founded in 1964, the PLO is empowered to negotiate and sign international treaties on behalf of the Palestinian people, while the PA is responsible for governance in parts of the Palestinian territories.

The PLO is an umbrella organization comprising several Palestinian factions, but not the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are currently at war with Israeli forces in Gaza.

Al-Sheikh, 64, is a veteran leader of Abbas’s Fatah movement, which dominates the PA, and is considered close to the president.

“Hamas is part of the people and cannot be eliminated from the political life [but] Hamas has to change its policies to become part of our political system,” the newly appointed VP said.

As for the future of Gaza, al-Sheikh said that the US was the “only side” capable of forcing Israel to stop the war in Gaza, while expressing hope that Hamas would also take action that would lead to stopping the war.

Al-Sheikh, who met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week, hailed the Saudi position towards the Palestinian plight. He said that MBS affirmed his support to the Palestinian people until they achieve their rights.

With AFP

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