AhlulBayt News Agency - Mayors (Mukhtars) and clans of Gaza urged all political spectra within the Palestinian leadership to end the internal division. For that purpose, they asked Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, to call for an urgent meeting of the leaders of national and Islamic factions, and suggested that the meeting would be held in the Gaza Strip to achieve national unity.
In a public conference held by mayors and clans of Gaza on Sunday, hundreds of dignitaries and notables attended the conference, which was titled "Yes to national unity No to division".
Coordinator general of the supreme body of the clans of the southern provinces, Alhaji Hosni al-Mughni said that all layers of the society are calling on the Palestinian leaders to end the detestable division. He wondered how come that the Palestinian people, who are known for their diligence and knowledge, could not agree on having an independent decision.
He added: "The Arab and Islamic world sympathizes with our cause internationally, but we are losing that sympathy because of the division;" and wondered: "how will the intifada and the resistance continue without the people standing behind it are united."
The President of the Conference and senior of mayors of Gaza appealed to Hamas and Fatah to end the division immediately, adding that "Hamas cannot exclude Fatah from the political scene, nor Fatah can exclude Hamas, we must get far above our past grudges, and give the national interests a priority above partisan interest."
Mughni appealed to the PA president and the leaders of the Palestinian organizations, on behalf of the Palestinian prisoners suffering behind bars, the martyrs, the wounded, orphans and the bereaved, to return from Qatar dialogues with an agreed-upon decision to end the rift.
He proposed the formation of a committee to pursue the recommendations of the conference, saying: "we will not wait anymore and all should hear our voice”.
The Palestinian mayor addressed Egypt, its president and its government, saying: "We cannot forget the great Egyptian role throughout history in supporting the Palestinian cause; that is why we have high hopes that the Rafah crossing will be open on permanent basis as it is the only outlet linking Gaza with the Arab Muslim world.”
Common factors
In his turn, Sheikh Abu Bilal al-Aklouk called in a speech in the name of preachers and Sheikhs, for reconciliation, forgiveness and tolerance, stressing the importance of national unity, as stated in the teachings of Islam.
He said: "We have a lot of common factors that unite not divide us, and what unites us is more than what divides us," pointing out that the Islamic religion “does not prevent us from thinking about what benefits us and leaving what is harmful for us”.
Sheikh al-Aklouk described the division as harmful, adding that it reflects negatively on our people and our resistance.
He pointed out that the division is an emergency situation which our people are not used to, "because the Palestinians are the people who were and still teach the world what unity and integration and brotherhood mean and look like".
He sent several messages, most notably of which was to the leaderships of the factions, that "all the Palestinian people are supporting you and your decisions to work to end the division and achieve reconciliation”.
The second message, was addressed to Arab and Muslim leaders to be generous in their moral support for the Palestinian people, then said: "Help us to end the division and achieve reconciliation."
In his third message, Sheikh al-Aklouk called on tribal leaders to support the success of the reconciliation. He also called on the religious scholars to take the initiative to heal the internal rift.
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