Mash'al: we are working towards a political organization that represents all Palestinians

"Khaled Mash'al, head of Hamas' political bureau, said last night that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in its current situation does not represent all Palestinians. [COMMENT: This is very true. Hamas should capitalize on the wide-spread support it has among Palestinians to organize a new Palestinian body representing all Palestinians, including those in the Diaspora. A new Palestine National Council, democratic, inclusive and open to all patriotic forces should be elected. The old PLO has long been hijacked and its carcass has been rotting in Ramallah for a while; we smell it all the way here in the U.S.]

The Hamas leader made his comments during a meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha at a conference called "celebrating the Gaza victory".

He added that the PLO serves to divide instead of reconcile. Moreover, he announced that he is working to reconstruct the factional body into what can be called, by today's terms, “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.”

“We must build a national reference to represent the Palestinians at home and abroad, including all national forces, the Palestinian people and the national trends.” Mash'al said.

During his speech, the Hamas leader sent a message to George Mitchell, the newly appointed US envoy to the Middle East, saying that political, security and military efforts would fail if the resistance groups are ignored........

At the end of his speech, Mash'el gave the stage to Mohammad Nazzal, Hamas political bureau member. At first, Nazzal thanked Mauritania and Qatar for the moral and financial support to the people of the Gaza Strip. He noted that the money that has been donated will reach those who desperately need it. "We want to ensure that funds reach those in need and that mechanisms for distribution run in a fair and transparent manner."

Nazzal finalized his speech by accusing some Palestinian and Arab parties of giving a cover to Israel's latest attack on Gaza. "I can confirm that there are Palestinian parties who knew of an impending strike, and also there is the involvement of the Arab parties before the outbreak.” "