Hamas rally in Gaza
Photo: AFP
Hamas tells Obama to learn from Bush's mistakes
Islamist group calls on US president to 'respect the Palestinian people's choice and support their right to defend themselves'
Hamas on Wednesday called on President Barack Obama to learn lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor George W. Bush and said it would judge the new US leader by his acts.
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"We will judge him by his policies and actions on the ground and how he will learn lessons from the mistakes of the previous administrations, especially that of George Bush and his criminal and unjust policies," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told a press conference in Gaza City.
Barhoum also called on Obama to "respect the Palestinian people's choice, support their right to defend themselves" and "avoid any bias in favor of the Zionist enemy."
Hamas, considered by the US, Israel and Europe as a terror organization, forcibly seized control of Gaza in June 2007.
The Arab world is following Obama's statements closely, particularly in light of the tension that characterized its relationship with Bush.
