Hamas founder and leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has indicated that the main Palestinian Islamist opposition group may participate in the upcoming meeting of the Palestinian Central Council meeting due to take place later this month, according to a report by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
Yassin was quoted as telling reporters in Gaza on Saturday that Hamas would study the prospects of taking part in the council's meeting if and when it became clear that "the council is dealing seriously with the cause of our people."
"If we come to the conclusion that the council is serious about upholding our people's interests, we will study favorably the prospects of taking part in the meeting, otherwise our position will remain unchanged."
Earlier, Yassin charged that the council's meetings were "only public relations events."
"We have seen that the Council's decisions are not put into effect and usually ignored, bypassed, or utterly disregarded by the Palestinian leadership," Yassin reportedly said last week.
Yassin also accused the PA of lacking the necessary good will to involve the opposition in general and the Islamist opposition in particular in the political process.
He demanded that the PA prove its sincerity to that effect by releasing political prisoners and putting an end to arresting opposition figures for voicing their views – Albawaba.com
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