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Al-Zaytouna Centre publishes the working papers of “The Islamists of the Arab World and the Palestinian Issue in Light of the Arab Uprisings” conference. 

 

Azzam al-Ayyoubi* presented his paper “Al-Jama‘ah Al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Issue” in the first session of the second day of the “The Islamists of the Arab World and the Palestinian Issue in Light of the Arab Uprisings” conference.

Al-Zaytouna held this conference on 28-29/11/2013, in which participants included political and academic figures from Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, in addition to Turkey and Iran, among others.

Mr. Azzam al-Ayyoubi

‘Azzam Ayyoubi said that the Palestinian issue has always represented an absolute priority to al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon, and also confirmed the group’s adoption of all legitimate causes of the Palestinians in Lebanon, especially in terms of amending laws that deprive the Palestinians of their civil and human rights, and to speed up the reconstruction of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.

To illustrate the experience of al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah with the Palestinian issue, Ayyoubi elaborated on the following three themes:

Firstly, Ayyoubi explained the standing that the Palestinian issue occupies in the thought and the platform of his group, where no political project ever proposed by it came devoid of items related to the Palestinian question, based on the following parameters: Palestine is an Arab-Islamic land, from the river to the sea, and no part of it may ever be compromised; similarly, there can be no compromise on Jerusalem, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and no recognition of or legitimacy for the “Israeli entity.” In addition, the liberation of Palestine is an Islamic duty, as well as a national Palestinian and Arab one, and a humanitarian and international duty. Moreover, the Zionist project poses a threat to the entire Arab-Islamic nation.

Secondly, Ayyoubi stated that al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah has kept in pace with the developments in Palestine by organizing many political, organizational and practical activities and events.

In the third axis of his address, Ayyoubi asserted that the Arab revolutions did not have any negative impact on the work of al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah for the Palestinian issue, with the exception of the Syrian revolution, which has taken priority, although this did not diminish the importance of the Palestinian issue, or bring any changes to strategic principles and goals. But rather, the priority came from the extent of the tragedy in Syria, he said, without this meaning abandoning the primary cause.

Ayyoubi stressed that this becomes evident each time major events happen, where the Palestinian cause would return to the forefront of attention and interaction, as happened for example during the recent aggression.

Ayyoubi concluded that the Palestinian issue was and will always be the central cause for us as an Islamist movement that believes in the inevitability of confrontation with the Zionist enemy, and the inevitability of victory against it.
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* Azzam al-Ayyoubi, Head of the political bureau of al-Jama‘ah al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon.


Click here to download Azzam al-Ayyoubi Working Paper:
Working Paper by Azzam al-Ayyoubi: “Al-Jama‘ah Al-Islamiyyah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Issue” (12 page, 848 KB )


Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, 20/7/2013


 

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