In an interview with TRT, Haneyya described the recently announced peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a “stab in the back of the Palestinian people”, and called on the UAE to backtrack on it.
Haneyya said that some Arab rulers seek normalized ties with Israel because they are deluded in thinking that the legitimacy of their rule comes from American and Israeli support and not from their own peoples.
Others, according to Haneyya, believe that the Arab nation is passing through a period of weakness, fragmentation, and defeat, and is unable to confront Israel.
The Hamas leader went on to say that whoever thinks so is delusional, for the Palestinian people have been fighting for more than a century and have not given up or recognized Israel.
Haneyya added that many Arab rulers believe that Israel wants peace and coexistence and forget that it is an occupation built on violence and massacres.
He saluted the positions taken by the states refusing to normalize relations with Israel, led by Turkey and Kuwait.
As for the latest escalating events in the Gaza Strip, Haneyya commented, “We are waiting for an answer to our demands which were conveyed to Israel by the Egyptian delegation.”