Fazlur Rehman criticizes the US over Gaza and asserts that there can be no Palestine settlement without Hamas.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-F), has criticized US foreign policy, saying that the US shouldn’t engage in “extremist or forceful politics.”

He claimed that it is impractical to exclude Hamas from negotiations because it is a key player in the Palestine issue.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman emphasized in a media appearance that the Palestinian conflict is today the most urgent global issue. He cited Pakistan’s founder, who once called Israel’s founding “a dagger in the back of the Arab world.”

The leader of the JUI-F party reiterated the party’s position that Israel is an illegal state. He denounced US President Donald Trump for “imposing decisions” and said that such actions were unethical and unpolitical.

Before reacting, Hamas said it will review Trump’s peace initiative.

“Any discussion about a two-state solution must be based on mutual acceptance, which currently does not exist—Israel does not accept Palestine, and vice versa,” Rehman said, adding that no solution can be forced upon Palestinians.

He went on to say that Palestinians cannot be coerced into adopting the two-state solution.

He drew a connection with previous international efforts, asking how Saddam Hussein was put to death for alleged war crimes while more than 100,000 Palestinians have died from malnutrition, sickness, and a lack of medical care—yet their suffering is ignored.

He referred to the United Nations’ statement mentioning Saddam’s conviction by the International Court of Justice as “regrettable,” given the lack of discussion about the continued suffering of Palestinians.