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“Dismantling
the group offices should be taken against the UNSC resolution 197
calling for the return of refugees,” Himdan
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By
Abdul Raheem Ali, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
May 3 (IslamOnline.net) - Leading Palestinian factions denied
Saturday, May 3, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s assertion
their offices in Syria had been closed down.
The
Islamic resistance movement Hamas said its offices in the Syrian
capital Damascus are still open, adding that they are only used to do
service to Palestinian refugees and “not any other work,” the
group’s politburo member Osama Himdan told IslamOnline.net, adding
they are still backed as usual by Damascus.
“Dismantling
the group offices should be taken against the 1948 U.N. Security
Council resolution 197 calling for the return of refugees to their
homeland,” Himdan said, shortly after
Powell claimed the Syrian authorities had told him during meetings in
Damascus that they closed the offices of some of the so-called
‘militant anti-Israeli groups’ as demanded by Washington.
Responding
to a question on whether the Syrians had acted to close the offices in
Damascus of these groups at the end of a one-day visit to Syria and
Lebanon, seen by Washington as major backers of militant anti-Israeli
groups, Powell said "they did closures."
Palestinian
resistance group Islamic Jihad also dismissed Powell’s statements,
ruling out that the Syrian government would take such a step given its
“unchangeable fundamental stance towards the Palestinian
resistance,” to the long-standing Israeli occupation.
Israel
has also occupied Syria’ s strategic Golan Heights since 1967, and
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government refuses to resume
negotiations with Damascus from the point they have ended to.
“Despite
all bids of blackmail and threats, no effort by Powell, Abu Mazen
(Palestinian Prime Minister) or others would stop Jihad (holy
struggle),” said Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Jihad said.
Abu
Mazen, vowed in his address before the Palestinian legislature to crack
down on the violence raging in the Palestinian territories and collect illegal weapons.
But
Palestinian resistance groups hit angrily at the statement, warning Au
Mazen not to take on them for the sake of providing guarantees to
Israel’s security and charging that “the Zionist occupation was
terrorism personified.”
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“No
one approached the doors of our office all over the past 30
years,” Hawtma
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“No
one approached the doors of our office all over the past 30 years
since the group was launched in 1967,” said the Syrian-based
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Secretary
General Nayef Hawtma, in defiance to Powell’s statements.
Palestinian
groups said their presence is important to face up to the Israeli
aggressions against civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The
Israeli military thrust into the Gaza Strip on Thursday left 13
people, including a 2-year-old toddler, dead and 65 injured.
Powell
said that he had emphasized strongly to the Syrian and Lebanese
officials “our concern about the continuing terrorist activities of
Hezbollah in the region and around the world"
Hezbollah
led the struggle to end 22 years of Israeli occupation of its southern
territories. The Israeli army was forced to carry out a messy
non-negotiated withdrawal from the areas. But it still claim control
of Shebaa Farms.
