US envoy: Hamas has brought only ruin and misery to Palestinians

Hamas “has only brought ruin and misery to Palestinians” and the “Palestinians deserve so much better than this,” says US special Mideast envoy Greenblatt.

Jason Greenblatt slammed Hamas for its terror-related ties with Iran, saying the “Palestinians deserve so much better than this.”

President Donald Trump’s special Mideast envoy tweeted on Monday that “Hamas, which has only brought ruin and misery to Palestinians, now begs Iran for help and again vows to destroy Israel.”

A high-profile Hamas delegation is currently visiting Tehran to improve its ties with the Islamic Republic. The delegation is headed by Saleh al-Arouri, the terrorist mastermind who has recently been appointed by Hamas to serve as deputy to politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Ali Akbar Velayati, senior international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised Hamas for sticking to its founding ideology, which calls for Israel’s destruction. “We congratulate you for declaring that you will not set your weapons aside and for describing it as your red line,” he said.

Regarding Iran’s support for the Palestinians, Velayati said Iran “wants to prove to the Zionist entity that strategic relations between Iran and the Palestinian resistance, represented by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, will never be severed. Rather, Iran’s support for the resistance will increase day by day.”

The “Palestinians deserve so much better than this. We must find a better path forward toward peace and prosperity,” Greenblatt added in another tweet.

Speaking last Thursday, Greenblatt said that if Hamas wants to play a role in any Palestinian government, it must renounce violence against Israel and commit to peaceful negotiations. That statement was the first American comment on the advancing reconciliation efforts between the rival Palestinian Fatah and Hamas factions, and echoed Israeli demands.

Greenblatt said Hamas must meet the international demands to recognize Israel and accept previous agreements with it. Hamas “must accept these basic requirements” in order to take part in government.

“The discussion now is about when we will wipe out Israel. Over is the time Hamas spent discussing recognizing Israel. Now Hamas will discuss when we will wipe out Israel,” Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar stated in response to the American demands.

“No one in the universe can disarm us,” he asserted. “On the contrary, we will continue to have the power to protect our citizens. No one has the ability to extract from us recognition of the occupation.”

UN Condemns ‘Some Hamas Leaders’

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations’ Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, on Sunday condemned Hamas for its latest call to destroy Israel.

“I condemn the latest statements made by some Hamas leaders calling for the destruction of the State of Israel,” the UN envoy stated on social media. “They do not serve the interest of peace and the goal of achieving a negotiated two-state solution.”

“Palestinian leaders are working to solve the humanitarian crisis and return the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Gaza,” and “they must not be distracted from this goal,” he added.

By: World Israel News Staff