Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement Ramadan Abdallah Shalah said on Friday the Palestinian Authority (PA) of Mahmoud Abbas could not impose its thoughts on the Palestinian nation or introduce its plans as national plans.

Speaking at the anniversary ceremony of the movement’s establishment at Yarmouk camp in Syria, he said at the best situation Fatah Movement would be able to attract only 30 percent of the Palestinian public opinion so it is not allowed to offer its thoughts as Palestine’s national plan.

He criticized some PA officials including Mahmoud Abbas for their reliance on the West’s so-called peace plans, adding that according to the Oslo peace agreements, the so-called independent Palestinian government should have been established last May.

“But the occupying regime’s expansionary policies and settlement buildings during the past 16 years has made it impossible to talk about establishing an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” he added.

“Palestinian national plan should be in accordance with the will of people who want freedom of their lands and establishment of an independent Palestine with Quds as its capital,” he said describing resistance as the only way to gain the goal.

In another part of his remarks, Ramadan Abdallah criticized certain Arab officials who call resistance as an adventurous act, saying that resistance against the occupying Zionists is a religious and national duty.

He also ridiculed Arab officials who at the one hand have designated ‘reconciliation with the Zionist regime’ as their strategic goal and at other hand put independent countries such as Iran and Syria under pressure for supporting resistance fighters by accusing them of interfering in the Palestinian internal affairs.

Touching on Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to quit his post as head of Palestinian Authority, Abdallah urged him to announce transparently that the peace talks with Israel have failed, noting that saving the Palestinian nation is more important than personal interests.

Gaza-based Palestinian government said on Wednesday the Palestinian fighters are ready to confront Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip if the regime carried out its threats to attack Gaza.

“We only have fire to receive the arrogant enemy and it will find nothing in gaza but resistance,” Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, told reporters.

Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades of Hamas “and all the honest fighters are dealing seriously with any Zionist threat,” Abu Obaida added.

Abu Obaida’s remarks followed statements by the Zionist regime’s army chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday that his forces’ “next battle will be in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.”

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Ali Khamenei Tuesday appreciated the resistance shown by the Iranian nation in the face of difficulties, and cautioned the US not to count on the post-election events in Iran as a means or platform for staging its plots against the Iranians.

“The Americans should not pin hope on some post-election issues and frenzies as the Islamic Republic of Iran is more profound and rooted than what they think and the Islamic Republic has surmounted much harder events than these issues,” Imam Khamenei stressed, addressing the students, pupils and the families of Iranian martyrs here in Tehran.

Referring to the US plots against Iran during the last 30 years after the Islamic Revolution, he underlined, “As long as the US administration maintains its arrogant spirit and threats, the Iranian nation will not be deceived by the fake conciliatory face of the US administration and will not give up its independence, freedom, national interests and rights at all.”

The Iranian Leader also reiterated that the US has done everything within its possibilities against the Iranian nation, and added this confrontation resulted in the further prosperity of the Iranian nation, progress of the Islamic Republic and increasing power of Iran and the Islamic Republic.

He underlined that the Iranian nation is seeking independence, freedom, national interests and progress in science and technology, and said if any country wants to disregard the Iranian nation’s rights, the people will stand against it with maximum power and will bring it to its knees.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have held a demonstration in the Gaza Strip in honor of the founder of Islamic Jihad movement who was assassinated about 15 years ago.

During the Friday rally, a leader of the group, Nafez Azzam, called on demonstrators to reject the Palestinians negotiations with Israel The Jerusalem Postreported.

The Islamic Jihad resistance movement was founded in the Gaza Strip in 1970s by Fathi Shikaki and Abd Al Aziz Awda as a branch of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad — an organization currently led by Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah.

Shikaki was assassinated in an attack widely attributed to Mossad in October 1995.

The Zionist regime’s troops on Thursday in a savage raid on al-Boqa region in eastern Khan Yunnis attacked innocent Palestinian people.

The occupying troops injured 10 Palestinians including 7 women and two reporters, witnesses said.

Seven Palestinians who are in critical, sent to the emergency unit in al-Khalil state hospital for medical treatment, IRIB reported from Ramallah.

That was happened when the occupying troops of the Zionist regime entered the area and Palestinian people prevent them from destroying a Palestinian pond and water supply system by bulldozers.

Meanwhile the foreign activists and some Palestinian civilians held a protest gathering and urged the Zionist regime’s cabinet to demolish the Zionist settlement in the area.

They also called for arrest of the Zionist settlers who cut the olive trees belongs to the Palestinians.

Senior officials of the Palestinians Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in a meeting in the Syrian capital of Damascus studied latest developments of the occupied Palestine on Friday.

During the meeting, both sides stressed their obligations to continue efforts for reaching a national reconciliation and oppose any unilateral measure to this end.

They also discussed ways for strengthening bilateral relations in line with serving the Palestinian nations.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation in the meeting was led by Secretary-General of the movement, Ramadan Abdullah Shallah. Hamas Leader, Khaled Mashal headed the Hamas delegation.

Hamas Movement on Tuesday condemned the “terrorist” attack in the Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan province that led to the death of tens of civilians and military personnel.

Hamas issued a statement saying that the suicide bombing killed the deputy commander of the Iranian revolutionary guards’ ground forces, General Nur-Ali Shushtari while on a national duty to unify Sunni and Shiite tribes in the country.

“This cowardly act targets the stability of the Islamic Republic of Iran and aims at punishing it for its stabds and steadfastness and only serves enemies to the Muslim Umma (Nation),” it elaborated.

The statement extended Hamas’s condolences to the Iranian leadership and people.

The attack killed 42 and wounded dozens others. A group called Jund Allah announced responsibility for the attack.

IRI Government approved on Sunday to designate January 19 as ‘day of Gaza’.

According to Qods News Agency, the bill to approve the day was forwarded in a formal session of the cabinet, Sunday evening.

January 19 is the day when the 22-day Israeli war on Gaza ended, leaving more than 1400 Palestinian people killed, mostly civilians.

A Yemeni court has sentenced 10 Muslim fighters to death and another five to 15 years in prison for involvement in “an organized terrorist group” in the north of the country.

The court in Sanaa convicted the 15 for “associating with an armed group for criminal purposes,” “creating an organized terrorist group” and “(armed) resistance to the authorities”, AFP reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, an appeal has been lodged on behalf of two members of the group but the other 13 refused to appeal on the grounds that they did not recognize the court’s legitimacy.

On Saturday, the same court sentenced another two Houthi fighters to death for taking part in gun battles against security forces near the capital last year.

Nine others received 8 to 12 years in jail.

The convictions come as the government continues its Operation Scorched Earth, launched on August 11 to crush the Muslim fighters known as Houthis.

The Sanaa government accuses Houthis of seeking to restore the Zaidi imamate that was toppled in a 1962 coup.

The Houthis, however, dismiss the allegation, saying they solely want an end to what they call the discriminative policies of the government and its campaign to spread Wahabism in the mainly Zaidi north.

Influential Iranian cleric and politician Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has urged the Muslim world to strengthen unity in support of the Palestinian people.

“The Zionist regime [Israel] and its supporters seek to plot and sow discord among Muslims and Palestinians aimed at taking advantage of disunity,” Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council said in a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Iran Salah Zawawi on Monday.

Rafsanjani made the remark a day after US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, told head of Egyptian Intelligence, Omar Suleiman that the proposed plan to settle differences between Fatah and Hamas undermines Palestinian negotiations with Israel and must be stopped, reported.

Washington has specified that any reconciliation deal must include recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state”, a condition strongly rejected by Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas.

The Iranian cleric called on the Palestinian people to maintain their integrity and prevent internal division and said, “Resistance is the way that will lead to victory for the Palestinians.”

Rafsanjani said that international organizations shoulder the responsibility in pursuing Israel’s criminal acts in the Gaza Strip.

“Muslims across the world call for putting an end to Israel’s anti human rights measures and restoring the rights of the Palestinian people,” he added.

Hamas Spokesman in the Palestinian Legislative Council Salah al-Bardawil hailed Iran’s support and solidarity with the Palestinian people, reminding the “valuable” role played by Imam Khomeini in this regard.

“We send our greetings to the Iranian people who have expressed solidarity and sympathy with the Palestinian nation over the tight siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” Bardawil told FNA.

Describing the International Qods Day as a bell chiming for those who forgot the Palestinian issue, he stressed that it is a good measure to make up for the lack of attention and negligence of certain Islamic states over the Palestinian issue.

Bardawil called on all Muslims to attend the International Qods Day rallies as a linking bridge for the Islamic Ummah to attain its great goal which is freedom of Beit-al-Moqaddas and other Islamic sanctuaries from the hands of the Zionists, prevent normalization of relations and compromise with Israel and renunciation of Qods.

The International Qods Day, the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan during which worldwide Muslims stage demonstrations to voice their strong protest and outrage at the occupying regime of Israel, was started by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, as a way of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and underscoring importance of Qods to Muslims.

Israeli security forces have arrested a senior Hamas leader in the southern West Bank over his alleged role in planning an attack in Israel, the Israeli army says.

Muhammad Harwish, head of Hamas’s armed wing in Tulkarm, was arrested along with his personal aide, Adnan Samara, late Monday, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Harwish has been accused of having been involved in the bombing of Park Hotel in Netanya in 2002.

The two were being interrogated by Israeli forces.

Different Iranian governmental and non-governmental organizations issued a manifesto in which they asked Iranians to take part in Qods Day rallies.

The manifesto calls for the wise people of Iran to renew their loyalty to the Palestinian cause and Lebanese Resistance.

It also asks the people to show their allegiance to the momentous decree of late Imam Khomeini and the Leader of the Revolution guidelines. It asks Iranian to demonstrate their hatred towards the Zionist regime and US policies.

The manifesto is signed by the Islamic society of trades and market, Baseej of medical community, Islamic Revolution Housing Organization, and the Society for the Liberation of Qods.

In another violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, Israeli forces open fire on a Lebanese vessel in the country’s territorial waters.

The Lebanese army command said on Monday that Israeli military forces fired from their position in Naqoura on a Lebanese fishing boat in Lebanese waters on Sunday.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the incident, which came two days after an Israeli rocket attack on southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army fired eight shells into a fruit plantation near the city of Tyre on Friday after two Katyusha rockets wre fired across the Lebanese border into northern Israel.

According to Lebanese authorities, despite a UN resolution calling for “a full cessation of hostilities”, Tel Aviv frequently violates Beirut’s land, sea and air space. UNSC resolution 1701 ended the 33-day offensive against Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah in 2006.

Moshir al-Mesri, a member of the Palestinian parliament, described resistance and persistence as the only ways to free Beit-ul-Moqaddas from the hands of the Zionist occupiers.

“The only way to free Qods is resistance as other options have, thus far, failed in this regard,” Al-Mesri told FNA.

Referring to the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan dubbed as ‘the international Qods Day’ during which worldwide Muslims stage demonstrations to voice their strong protest and outrage at the occupying regime of Israel, he reiterated that the day underlines the need for the Arab and Muslim nations to rush to the assistance of the Palestinians.

Qods Day was started by the late Founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, as a way of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and underscoring importance of Qods to Muslims.

Al-Mesri viewed the international Qods day as the cause of unity and solidarity among the Islamic Ummah (community), and said, “Israel is concerned and upset about the day.”

“Tel-Aviv doesn’t want the Islamic Ummah to stand on the side of the Palestinian nation and free the Qods,” he reminded.

As Yemen’s military offensive against Shia Muslim resistance fighters enters a fifth week, the army claims to have recaptured several Houthi positions in the north.

The military said Wednesday that after two days of heavy fighting in Sadaa province that included air strikes, government troops managed to recapture the Jabal al-Ahmar district in south of Saada city, and that they have cleared the area of Zaidi fighters.

It has also claimed to have inflicted heavy human losses on the Muslim Zaidi fighters, also known as Houthis, following what the army called ‘deadly air strikes in the region.’

“Fighter jets have dealt the rebels a painful blow, killing many of them during the confrontations and troops have cleared the mountains of them and taken up positions there,” the state news agency Saba quoted a military official as saying.

The fighters, led by Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, have not commented on the government report yet. Both sides have often claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other side, something difficult to verify since no journalist are allowed in the conflict zone.

Also on Wednesday, Yemen’s Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi claimed that more than 100 Zaidi Shia fighters had been arrested and were being interrogated. He also said that government’s conditions for a ceasefire, which includes Houthis’ withdrawal from all districts of Saada and mountainous sites and the return of their weapons, was non-negotiable.

According to United Nations figures, more than 35,000 people have been displaced by weeks of fighting in Saada and Amran provinces. The world body has repeatedly warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region. Houthi fighters accuse the government forces of preventing the displaced civilians from returning to their homes.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed since the Yemeni government launched its “Scorched Earth” operation against Muslim fighters on August 11.