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"If
occupation continues, resistance would never be halted," said
Rantissi (R)
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By
Mustafa el-Sawwaf, IOL Correspondent
GAZA
CITY, December 17 (IslamOnline.net) - Palestinian factions reiterated
that no truce will be possible without Israel first giving guarantees
for an end to its daily aggressions on Palestinian civilians and
long-standing occupation of their country.
During
talks with a visiting Egyptian delegation, led by deputy intelligence
chief Mustafa El-Beheiri, the Palestinians reaffirmed their opposition
to putting the cart before the horse.
"Palestinians
are under occupation. And if it continues, resistance would never be
halted," said Hamas senior official Abdel-Aziz Rantissi after
meeting with the Egyptians at the house of the group's spiritual
leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
"(Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and America should realize that we are
defending our land and holy places, and we will not bow to their
blackmail and terrorism," Rantissi told IslamOnline.net.
He
denied talks dwelt on declaring a truce, or that the Egyptian
delegation conveyed a message from the U.S. to Palestinian resistance
factions.
"The
ball is now in Israel's court. If Washington wished to pressure
Israel, it should have asked it to withdraw from occupied Palestinian
territories," the senior Hamas leader said.
Hamas
had
notified Egypt with its opposition to a one-year conditional
truce with Israel but expressed readiness to "spare
civilians" in anti-Israeli attacks should Israel pledges
the same.
The
Hamas gesture was categorically
rejectedby Sharon.
No
Confidence
Delegates
from other factions said the visiting Egyptian delegation carried
promises from Washington for more efforts to support any Palestinian
agreement.
"But
we do not trust the U.S. in the first place and consider it an
accomplice in the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people,"
said Gamil Al-Magdalawi of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP).
While
Mohamed El-Hindi of the Islamic Jihad said the resistance factions are
not ready to change their position on truce unless "the Egyptians
come up with new guarantees".
"No
truce for free. It should have a political price not just measures on
the ground," Hindi said.
Hamas
and Islamic Jihad issued
a joint statement on August 22, ending their unilaterally-declared
truce after Israel assassinated a top Hamas political leader.
Egyptian
FM Israel
In
a related development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher would
arrive in Israel and Palestinian territories next week amid
Egyptian-led efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement.
Maher
will meet Sharon and his Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, said an
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Wednesday.
The
top diplomat is also expected to hold talks with Israeli President
Moshe Katsav, during his one-day trip, the spokesman added.
The
trip comes one week after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with
Shalom in Geneva in the first meeting between an Israeli official and
the Egyptian president since Sharon assumed power.
Egypt,
has a peace agreement with Israel, summoned its Ambassador from Tel
Aviv after the September 2000 outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada,
protesting Israel’s "excessive use of force" against
Palestinian civilians.
