Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal gives a speech during a rally marking the 25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas, in Gaza City, yesterday.
GAZA: Braving rain, wind and winter chill, thousands upon thousands of Gazans joined a 25th anniversary rally for Hamas yesterday, making clear they want Khaled Meshaal to remain leader of the Islamist group.
Meshaal, paying his first ever visit to Hamas’s Gaza fiefdom, has said repeatedly that he wants to step down after eight years at the helm of the group, which is locked in seemingly perennial conflict with a much more powerful Israel.
He made no mention of his future in an hour-long speech, but the crowds of supporters, many holding aloft the green flag of Hamas, were adamant that the bearded Meshaal should continue to guide the group at a time when they see its star rising.
“Meshaal is the natural leader of Hamas and must stay so if Palestine is going to be liberated,” said Salah Suheil, a 44-year-old man standing on waterlogged wasteground that served as the arena for Saturday’s celebrations.
Hamas, which has just fought an eight-day conflict with Israel, has been holding a secret ballot for months to determine who should head the group. Expectations that a result would emerge during Meshaal’s visit appeared unfounded.
“Hamas has not yet concluded its internal election and there is nothing new in this regard,” a senior Hamas source said yesterday.
Meshaal emerged through the doors of a huge model missile onto the rally stage, waving his arms and flashing victory signs, as the crowds, catching their first-ever glimpse of their long-exiled leader, roared in approval.
“We all want Meshaal to remain in his post,” said Ahmed Shaheen, 60, wearing long Arab robes, who was sitting with his young children near the front of the audience.
Dressed in a suit and a woollen jacket, Meshaal looked more like the school teacher he once was than the head of a movement that is viewed as a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and many Western governments.
Reuters
