Haneya: Jerusalem can only be "liberated" through Holy war, not talks

Prime minister of the deposed Palestinian unity government Ismail Haneya said on Thursday that liberating Jerusalem and the holy al-Aqsa Mosque can only be achieved through Jihad (Holy War), instead of "absurd peace talks." Haneya made the statement at a rally held in Gaza City to mark the 39-year-anniversary of burning al-Aqsa mosque by a Zionist extremist, Muslims' holy shrine in east Jerusalem. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are holding talks on six basic permanent status issues, Jerusalem being one of them. Haneya described these talks and ongoing meetings as "absurd." "The Liberation of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque can be achieved only through Jihad, blood, resistance and martyrdom and not through absurd peace talks," Haneya told the rally. Haneya, who is also a senior Hamas leader, and his national unity government... [read full story]