CAIRO, May 7 (UPI) -- Hamas is allied with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood but independent of it, leader Khaled Mashaal says.
Speaking to al-Jazeera in Cairo in an interview broadcast Saturday after the signing of the Palestinian unity accord with Fatah, Mashaal said, "We are an independent organization different from any other in the world.
"We are a national liberation movement with an Islamic background, and our aim is to free our land and to restore our right. Our historical background is related to the Muslim Brotherhood, but this should not lead to any confusion by some regional powers."
Mashaal, who lives in Damascus, Syria, also said, "The main reason behind the deal is the feeling of being divided, a division that was not of our making but that we were forced to live with.
"We have all suffered from the division, and from day one we were aiming toward real reconciliation, but it was not possible because of the involvement of other parties."
