Raad: Resistance proved to be the best choice to defend the rights

Source: Al-Manar TV, 25-01-2009

The head of the Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc Mohamamd Raad said Sunday that the resistance has a legitimate right to keep and bear arms.
Speaking during an event held by "the laborer's league" at the UNESCO conference center, Raad renewed commitment to the option of resistance and defending it.

"Anyone who tries to strip us of this right would be committing a terrorist crime and would be providing support for the terrorist "Israeli" enemy," Raad said.

The Hizbullah MP said that following the July 2006 war against Lebanon and the 22-day aggression on Gaza the "resistance proved to be the best choice to defend the rights" of the Lebanese and Palestinian people.

Commenting on US President Barack Obama's inauguration address, Raad emphasized that "the tone of the speech would not mislead us nor would the new U.S. president's charisma." He noted that Hizbullah was waiting to see deeds and commitments the new US Administration will make.

For his part, Hamas representative in Lebanon Ossama Hamdan addressed the rally and said that the Palestinian Resistance movement will continue to arm its fighters in the war-battered Gaza Strip as well as on the West Bank.

"We never failed to get arms into Gaza even during the (‘Israeli') war and under the bombardment," he said. "We have the right to hold weapons. We will continue to get arms into Gaza and the West Bank ... Nobody should think that we will surrender to any measures," he added.

"Warplanes, aircraft carriers and satellite technology will not be able to monitor the entry of weapons through Gaza's tunnels," Hamdan said. "Things might get difficult, but we will do whatever it takes to continue our resistance against ‘Israel'."