Hamas chief visits Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

Beirut, Sep 7 (IANS) Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, which marked his first visit to the country after 27 years.

Haniyeh, who heads the political bureau of Hamas, received a hero’s welcome at the Ein El-Hilweh camp located outside the coastal city of Sidon on Sunday.

Palestinians will not accept a future in any country other than Palestine, Xinhua news agency quoted the Haniyesh as saying while addressing his supporters at the camp.

“We will not accept naturalization, immigration to any other country and the Deal of the Century will not be achieved… We will be guests in Lebanon until we manage to return to our country” he said.

Haniyeh was referring to US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, also called the “Deal of the Century” that was revealed earlier this year.

Annexation of Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley, an area that makes up some 30 per cent of the West Bank, is a part of the plan which the Palestinians have strongly opposed to.

“Our missiles had a range of several kilometers from the border with Gaza.

“Today the resistance in Gaza has missiles that can hit Tel Aviv and beyond Tel Aviv,” The Times of Israel quoted Hainiyeh as saying.

Hamas took control of the besieged coastal enclave in 2007.

–IANS

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