The way to establish a Palestinian state is via "Peaceful resistance to Israel, not weapons," Hussein Al-Sheikh, deputy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Saudi state-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya on Sunday.
“The Palestinian rifle is political and its bullets must be controlled," he said.
The deputy to Mahmoud Abbas further noted that the Palestinian Authority was in contact with Hamas. The terror group “is part of the people and cannot be eliminated from political life,” he said, stating, however, it "must give up its weapons" and "accept one authority, one legitimacy, and one weapon."
“Hamas must change its policies in order to become part of our political system," he stated.
With regards to relations with Israel, Al-Sheikh stated, "There is no partner in Israel for achieving peace."
"We have a red line that cannot be crossed," he said, adding, "We reject the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land.”
Negotiations with Israel 'out of realism'
According to him, the Palestinian Authority negotiated "with Israel out of realism and interests," seeking "to obtain our rights and establish our state."
“Our priority is to secure the Palestinian people’s presence on their land.”
In late April, Abbas named al-Sheikh, his close confidant, as his deputy and likely successor, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership.