Islamic Jihad expresses resiliency

GAZA, June 30 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Islamic Jihad remains supported by donor states, including Iran, and remains steadfast in its territorial ambitions, the leadership says.

The PIJ is a militant organization active in the Gaza Strip designated as a terrorist organization by several nations, including the United States and the European Union. It seeks the destruction of the state of Israel with a Palestinian state in its place.

Commenting on its fiscal position in the current economic crisis and as negotiations continue on a settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, the deputy leader of the Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, said the resistance faces several economic obstacles.

"What we can obtain from the donors can satisfy some of our needs, but the Jihad Movement remains a resistance movement," he told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. "It is poor, and it always pursues to increase its resources as long as its body and its needs grow."

He identified foreign donors as the primary funding source for the movement, noting Iran had a particular interest in the activity of the group.

"A country such as Iran is interested in the affairs of the prisoners, detainees, and families of the martyrs," he said. "Iran has institutions that follow up this issue, and under this headline offers reasonable aid."

On renewed negotiations aimed at settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, he maintained the Islamic Jihad would not recognize Israel and opposes a two-state solution that calls for a divided Palestine.