Hezbollah and Hamas may unite against Israel and Trump's Al-Quds decision, report says

Hezbollah and Hamas may unite against Israel and Trump's Al-Quds decision, report says
Thu Dec 28, 2017 09:00:08

According to a report, there could be an official announcement soon from the axis of resistance that it is coming together to confront Israel and Trump’s decision.

(Newsweek) -- Lebanese Shia Muslim group Hezbollah and Palestinian Sunni Muslim group Hamas, two influential political and paramilitary organizations opposed to Israel, have apparently joined forces in response to President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize the contested, holy city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel.

"There could be an official announcement soon from the axis of resistance that it is coming together to confront Israel and Trump’s decision," Lebanon's The Daily Star cited a Lebanon-based security source described as being close to both groups as saying Tuesday.

The alleged gathering also would include several other groups active in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank as well as the Iran-backed, mostly Shiite Muslim Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq. Whereas Hezbollah took on ISIS and rebel groups in Syria and the outskirts of Lebanon, the Popular Mobilization Forces played a key role in defeating terrorists from their country of origin.

Hezbollah Secretary -- Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah -- called on Muslims and Christians earlier this month to unite in opposition to Trump's historic decision to name Al-Quds as the capital of Israel along with plans to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The city, which is considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims, was given international status ahead of Israel's creation in 1948, but was divided between Israel and Jordan amid the conflict and mass displacement of Palestinians that followed. Israel later seized the whole city after a second Arab-Israeli conflict in 1967 and annexed the eastern half in 1980, a move not recognized internationally and viciously opposed by Arab and Muslim countries that view the city, or at least East Quds, as the capital of a Palestinian state.

"The stance of the Palestinian people is the key to all the coming period,” Nasrallah said during a speech, adding: "We renew our vow to stay with Palestine, Al-Quds [Jerusalem], and all the Islamic and Christian sanctities, as we are witnessing today a true intifada [uprising] in which Muslims and Christians are all united to defend the sanctities," according to Lebanon's Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah could focus on supporting Palestinians now that ISIS had collapsed. Hezbollah fought two major wars with Israel, both of which resulted in Israeli withdrawals in 2000 and 2006. Hamas also emerged in the 1980s, but with the backing of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas played a key role in the anti-Israel intifadas of the late 1980s and early 2000s, but its rivalry with longtime, left-wing Palestinian resistance vanguard Fatah has alienated the two Palestinian movements and has potentially led to Fatah's exclusion from the upcoming meeting.

Facing an overwhelmingly negative international reaction to Trump's decision, the U.S. used its privilege as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council to veto a resolution last week condemning it. Days later, the U.N. General Assembly put up another resolution, which the U.S. couldn't veto, and, despite Trump's threats to cut off financial aid to any country that voted against his announcement, the resolution passed 128-9.

In a separate development, Iran's parliament voted Wednesday in favor of recognizing Al-Quds as the capital of the U.N.-recognized "State of Palestine."

 

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