JEDDAH, 29 January 2007 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday invited leaders of the warring Palestinian groups for talks in Saudi Arabia. “I invite them all, without differentiating between them, for an emergency meeting in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah in order to discuss issues of dispute without any bias and without any interference from any party,” the king said.
In an unprecedented appeal carried by the Saudi Press Agency, King Abdullah expressed his hope that the proposed Makkah meeting would bring about a solution to the conflict in a way that will be acceptable to God and realizing the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people as well as Islamic countries and all those who have supported the Palestinian cause.
The king said the Saudi government and people would not stand as mere spectators in the face of the ongoing fighting between the Palestinian factions. “We in Saudi Arabia are deeply saddened by what is happening in Palestine, the land of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first qibla of Muslims,” Abdullah said, emphasizing Palestine’s historic importance.
He urged the Palestinian factions to settle their differences through dialogue and said their infighting was a shame and tarnished the image of the Palestinian national struggle.
The king urged the Palestinian factions to end their bloodbath and reminded them of a verse from the Holy Qur’an, which says: “And he who intentionally kills a believer, his reward is Hell. He shall abide therein forever, and the wrath and the curse of God are upon him. He has prepared for him a dreadful doom.”
Abdullah said the infighting was a gross injustice to the thousands of Palestinians who fell martyr while fighting to liberate their occupied land.
The king said the infighting will only serve the enemies of the Ummah and raise questions in the minds of the well-wishers of Palestinians. “What are we going to tell those who have supported our issue? What justification do we have for this fratricidal fighting?” he said. Abdullah said intellectuals and wise men in Palestine should try their best to put an end to this conflict before the Palestinian people lose their hope. “If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make peace between them,” the king said quoting another verse from the Qur’an. “The believers are but a single brotherhood. So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers and fear Allah that you may receive Mercy.”
Both the ruling Hamas movement and the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the offer.
The king’s offer came as Palestinian civilians fled their homes in Gaza yesterday to seek refuge with relatives in the face of fierce clashes. A Hamas activist was killed in a drive-by shooting, bringing to 26 the number of people killed since Thursday.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§...=29&m=1&y=2007
inshaAllah something will be solved between the two parties!