The Syrian daily Teshreen reports that, at a rally marking the 22nd birthday of the Islamic Jihad organization, held November 6, 2009 in Damascus, the organization's secretary-general, Ramadan Shalah, said that resistance to occupation is not a matter of choice but is a moral and religious duty.
Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al said that the basis for national reconciliation is loyalty to the soil, to Jerusalem, to the right of return and to resistance.
According to the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, Mash'al also said that the way to restore rights is through jihad and resistance, not through negotiations and reliance on the U.S.
Source: Al-Sharq (Qatar), November 8, 2009; Teshreen (Syria), November 7, 2009
