News / Palestine

Hamas slams UN chief's labeling of Palestinian resistance as 'violence'

Friday, 15 September 2023 10:15 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 15 September 2023 10:51 AM ]

An Israeli soldier kicks a Palestinian man as troops try to arrest him in the West Bank city of al-Khalil. (File photo by AFP)

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has categorically rejected UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' labeling of the resistance of Palestinian people against the Israeli regime as “violence,” saying what takes place in the Palestinian territories is the right to self-defense against the occupying entity.

Hamas made the statement on Thursday after Guterres said at a press conference that he does not think it is with “violence” that the Palestinians will be able to better defend their interests.

“Hamas confirms that such a misnomer is not compatible with a genuine human right – i.e. the right to self-defense against the aggression inflicted by an occupying entity,” the Palestinian resistance movement said. “This right to self-defense is a legitimate right in consonance with international laws and norms.”

Hamas underlined that the Palestinian people will never abolish such a right and will continue to fight the Israeli occupation and its Judaisation schemes until they liberate their homeland.

The Palestinian resistance movement said the terms “violence,” and “terrorism” apply exclusively to the Israeli occupation and fascist colonial settlers, who bear full responsibility for escalating the situation, disrupting the lives of the Palestinian people and denying them their national rights.

حمـــــــــاس ترفض وصف غوتيريش لمقـــــــــاومة شعبنا بالعنفhttps://t.co/hGu2eclaCd
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) September 14, 2023

Hamas also called on Guterres and the UN to assume their role in endorsing the Palestinian people's rights and their just cause by condemning the Israeli occupation and its continued aggression and holding its leaders responsible for their crimes and racist policies in order to allow the Palestinians to exercise their rights to freedom and independence on their homeland.

Israeli forces launch raids on various cities of the occupied West Bank on an almost daily basis under the pretext of detaining what the regime calls “wanted” Palestinians. The raids usually lead to violent confrontations with residents.

Israel sets new record in number of ‘administrative’ Palestinian detainees

New data obtained by a rights group from the prison service showed the number of administrative detainees stood at 1,264.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed this year in the occupied territories and Gaza. The majority of these fatalities have been recorded in the West Bank.

The figure makes 2023 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the United Nations began keeping track of fatalities in 2005.

Previously, 2022 was the deadliest year with 150 Palestinians killed, of whom 33 were minors, according to the United Nations.

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