|
Hamas: Martyr Operations Will Stop When Israeli Aggression Does
 |
|
“Our
enemy kills civilians, babies, innocents, chops down trees and
destroys homes.”
|
GAZA,
May 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Sheikh Ahmad Yaseen, the
leader of the Islamic Resistance movement Hamas, said Monday, May 27,
that the movement is prepared to halt its martyr operations against
Israeli civilians if the international community guarantees that the
Israeli occupation forces will stop targeting Palestinian civilians.
Speaking
Monday to the Qatari-based Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel, Sheikh Yaseen
said the movement is ready to stop its attacks against so-called
Zionist civilians if the Zionist enemy stops targeting Palestinian
civilians under an international guarantee similar to the 1996 April
Agreement between Hezbollah and the Zionist government.
In
the meantime, Hamas will continue all possible methods of resistance,
he said.
“We
are people who are the victims of aggression, occupation, subjugation
and colonization,” Sheikh Yassin said. “We are unarmed with no
military power to defend ourselves against an enemy which has all
military capabilities. The most valuable thing that we have is to
sacrifice our souls to defend our nation, people and dignity.”
He
added that the martyr operations are the highest levels of defense
against the Zionist enemy who owns an arsenal of air-craft, missiles
and tanks. “We have the right to defend ourselves using all possible
methods as long as we don’t have means to deter the enemy. Our enemy
kills civilians, babies, innocents, chops down trees and destroys
homes.”
“We
have put forward this initiative before,” he went on. “We asked
them to stop targeting our civilians, but the occupation continued to
target our children and did not respect this initiative and did not
stop its aggression. We are therefore not bound by this initiative.”
He
added that his movement would study taking part in the upcoming
Palestinian elections if its integrity could be maintained and if it
does not depend on the Oslo agreement.
Hamas
refused to take part in previous elections, said Sheikh Yassin,
because it was bound by the Oslo agreement. If this changed through
national unity and the building of a national council and national
organizations, then they will be seriously considered, he added.
Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat announced May 17 that the Palestinian
elections would be organized after the Israeli army withdraws from the
Palestinian territories.
There
has been much official Arabic pressure to halt the Palestinian martyr
operations. The Gulf cooperation Council (GCC) condemned all acts of
violence in their summit Sunday, May 26, in a clear indication to the
martyr operations and the Israeli aggression. A summit held earlier in
May between the Egyptian, Syrian and Saudi leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh
made a call to the same effect.
|
