- 28 oct 2010
Hamas official: Another Gaza war would cost Israel dearly
Speaking in the coastal Strip, Mahmoud al-Zahar says Israel should think 'a thousand times' before entering another military conflict, adding that Hamas had a right to defend itself.
A Gaza-based high-ranking Islamic Hamas movement leader on Thursday warned Israel against launching a large- scale offensive on the Gaza Strip similar to the late 2008 Gaza war, also known as Operation Cast Lead.
"We seriously consider Israel's threats to launch another war on Gaza, but we frankly say if Israel tries to enter Gaza, it will cost it a lot and it won't be able to achieve its goals," said Mahmoud al- Zahar during a workshop in Gaza.
Israel had accused Hamas movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since June 2007, of trying to get more arms and weapons to the salient to use in carrying out attacks against Israeli territory.
"It is the right of Hamas to have all kinds of weapons to defend itself," Zahar said. "If Israel carries out another war in the future, it should think thousand of times before carrying out a war."
He said that Israel "exaggerates that armed organizations have various kinds of weapons to find an excuse to strike again on the Gaza Strip."
Meanwhile, Zahar affirmed that there are contacts between his movement and Western countries "due to the growth of Islam. We speak with the west using the same honest language that we use with everyone."
He denied that his movement had held direct contacts or talks with officials in the U.S. administration, "but we speak to non-official American and Western figures, and we welcome anyone who wants to speak to us."
Earlier Thursday, Zahar told Reuters the West was floundering in immorality and had no right to criticize Hamas over the way it the Gaza Strip, saying the West should be "ashamed of supporting Israel, You cannot support the foundation of Israel. Don't you care about the assassination of people here?"
Zahar told Reuters in an interview that Islamic traditions deserved respect and he accused Europe of promoting promiscuity and political hypocrisy.
"We have the right to control our life according to our religion, not according to your religion. You have no religion. You are secular," said Zahar, who is one of the group's most influential and respected voices.
"You do not live like human beings. You do not [even] live like animals. You accept homosexuality. And now you criticize us?" he said earlier this week, speaking from his apartment building in the densely populated, Mediterranean city.
http://bit.ly/aZu9Dm
Nigeria Intercepts Weapons Shipment Reportedly En-route To Gaza
Nigeria announced, Tuesday, that its secret service managed to intercept 13 containers reportedly loaded with weapons that are believed to be sent from Iran to the Hamas movement in Gaza.
The explosives and the grenades were camouflaged as construction materials, and were seized at Lagos Port in Nigeria.
Media sources in Nigeria reported that the ship came from Iran, docked in Lagos for a few hours and sailed on after unloading 13 containers.
Nigerian State Security Service spokeswoman, Marilyn Ogar, stated that after opening the first container, grenades, rocket launchers, and different sorts of explosives were located.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the weapons were concealed among crates of floor tiles, quoting Ogar.
Andrew Azazi, Nigerian National Security Advisor, refused to specify which ship carried the weapons, and only said that the government intends to destroy all located weapons.
Also, the Nigerian media said that the clearing agent in charge of unloading the containers at the port tried to bribe customs officers in an attempt to have them move the containers to an off-dock terminal, where the ships can be screened outside of the port, but the officers alerted the security services who in return ordered all containers opened, Haaretz said.
Israel is currently holding talks with Nigeria in an attempt to acquire more information about the weapons, and have an investigation started.
Israel believes that uncovering the weapons shipment likely exposed a new route, via Africa, for smuggling weapons sent from Iran to Hamas in Gaza.
A senior Israeli defense source stated that Iran is having difficulties in sending weapons to Gaza via Sinai due to the tightened security measures on the Red Sea and the Sinai desert, and due to international supervision on Iranian ships.
The source added that it is likely that Iran intended to unload the shipment in Nigeria in order to transfer the weapons to Sudan and then to Sinai.
In March of last year, the Israeli Air Force fired missiles at a convoy In Sudan believed to be loaded with weapons meant to be sent to the Gaza Strip. The attack left 39 persons dead while several civilians in the targeted area were wounded.
According to Israeli security services, this is believed to be the third failed attempt by Iran to smuggle weapons into the region.
In November 2009, the Israeli Navy boarded the Francop vessel while in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship carried hundreds of tons of weapons believed to be sent from Iran to Syria, and to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Party.
In September 2010, a weapons shipment believed to be sent from Iran to Syria was intercepted at the Calabria Port Italy and a few days later, a North Korean weapons shipment believed to be heading to Syria was captured in a port in Greece.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59770 19 jan 2012, 21:08 , Respect -
Hamas official: We were warned of possible Israeli strike
Sources in Gaza claim at least one Arab state warned Islamist group of possible Israeli attack if rearmament in Gaza continues.
Sources in Gaza told Ynet on Friday that at least one Arab state transmitted a message to Hamas, according to which Israel might attack the Strip if the ruling militant group and other organizations continue acquiring weapons.
Several sources in Gaza claimed that Israeli aircraft have been conducting dummy runs over the coastal enclave, and IDF forces can be seen deployed in force along the border.
On Thursday, senior Hamas figure Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar asserted that it was his organization's prerogative to arm itself, in order to protect the Palestinian people.
"They will pay a high price for entering Gaza," al-Zahar said in reference to a possible Israeli strike, "Israelis should think twice before making that decision."
Al-Zahar's comments most likely came as a response to repeated Israeli warnings conveyed through international channels and media outlets.
Sources in Palestinian organizations in the Strip confirmed that they were preparing for an Israeli strike and that "armament continues as part of an effort to ward off an expected Israeli attack."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976711,00.html
Hamas to Israel: Think twice before war
Leading member of the Hamas Political Bureau Mahmoud al-Zahar
A senior member of the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas says Israel will pay the price in case of another offensive against the Gaza Strip.
"If Israel tries to enter Gaza, it will cost it a lot and it won't be able to achieve its goals," Mahmoud al-Zahar said from Gaza on Thursday.
"If Israel carries out another war in the future, it should think thousand of times before carrying out a war," he noted.
The Israeli military launched a deadly assault on the beleaguered Gaza Strip at the turn of 2009, killing at least 1,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after it won the last Palestinian legislative elections.
Following the victory, the coastal enclave has been under Israeli siege. The 1.5 million people of Gaza are in dire need of basic humanitarian supplies.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/148753.html 19 jan 2012, 21:08 , Respect -
Mishaal: Resistance will rise again in the West Bank
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Head of Hamas's political bureau Khaled Mishaal stated Friday that the resistance is the only way for the liberation of occupied Jerusalem, the return of refugees, and the establishment of the Palestinian state, and it will rise up against the Israeli occupation soon in the West Bank.
In a ceremony organized by Al-Quds international institution in Damascus, Mishaal stressed that hunting and disarming resistance fighters, renouncing armed activities against the occupation, and relying on the peace talks with Israel will never lead to freedom and a Palestinian state.
The Hamas official also addressed "illusion seekers" as he described the Palestinian Authority's negotiators by saying that the resistance is the only solution and without it the Palestinian rights will be all gone.
"There would be no liberation, Jerusalem, the right of return or a Palestinian state without resistance," he emphasized.
"I am saying to the makers of the international conspiracy, who sent us Dayton, you have built up a heap of illusions, but they are like a passing summer cloud and Al-Qassam [Brigades] of the West Bank will rise again to repeat the resistance epic that will restore Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque," the Hamas leader added.
"We will be tolerating the sons of our nation [from Fatah] even those who are besieging, turning their backs on, and conspiring against us; we will be patient with them because they will find out they are chasing a mirage and that Obama has let them down," he underscored.
"Let us respond to the international impotence and the Zionist arrogance with the resistance program. Jerusalem will remain our political destination for victory and liberation. As Makkah is the direction of worship, Jerusalem is the direction of resistance," Mishaal concluded his speech addressing the Arab leaders.
http://bit.ly/dnJuyO
Bardawil: Israel paving way for next strike on Gaza Strip
GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Salah Al Bardawil said during a political seminar staged by Hamas%u2019s press bureau on Friday that Israel has been contacting Palestinian Authority officials to thwart national reconciliation efforts and ultimately point an accusing finger at Hamas to pave the way for a military strike on the Gaza Strip.
Bardawil stressed that the U.S. and Israel have vetoed out an agreement between the two Palestinian movements in order to prevent the presence of Hamas security leaders in the West Bank.
Informed sources said PA military security leaders in the West Bank have informed the Fatah delegation assigned with discussing reconciliation with Hamas that they will not accept any substantive changes to the security structure in the West Bank if Fatah comes to an agreement with Hamas.
The PA also said it will honor all agreements and understandings made with international parties that contributed to reconstructing its security forces.
The majority of PA leaders said that if an agreement was signed in the reconciliation process, it would not be binding.
Locals reported Saturday that PA security forces arrested two Hamas supporters in Ramallah and Nablus, and more than 20 students from the Najah University. Other detainees were released with marks of torture on their bodies.
An ex-detainee said the PA security prisons in Al-Khalil have refused to provide prisoners with warm clothing to protect them from the rough winter weather.
http://bit.ly/9MeSvM
Hamas leader says new war on Gaza unlikely
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said Saturday that the Islamist movement does not expect Israel to launch another war on Gaza in the near future, despite recent threats by senior Israeli army officials.
The Israeli government realized that a new war would fail, Radwan said, adding that the resistance movement in the Strip was ready to respond to an Israeli offensive.
Several high-ranking Israeli officers have made statements to the media recently warning of a repeat of Israel's last war on the coastal enclave, which left 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands more injured. One senior officer, quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz, said if another soldier was captured Israel's response would be no less severe than the December 2008 war. In September, commander Eyal Eisenberg warned that the next war on Gaza would be a "more painful, complex, and powerful round" in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet.
Radwan said the statements were propaganda to be consumed by local media for the benefit of Israelis. Meanwhile Israel's international image had was still suffering from allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Hamas official said. Jurist Richard Goldstone found evidence that Israel committed war crimes in his UN-mandated investigation into Operation Cast Lead.
Responding to recent reports that Hamas has obtained anti-aircraft missiles, Radwan said the claims were attempts by Israel to find an excuse to repeat its massacres in Gaza. Such offensives did not break the resistance of Palestinians in the past, and they would not break or intimidate Palestinians now, he concluded.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329152
Haniyeh rules out new war on Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza government Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that Israeli threats to launch a new offensive on the Strip were psychological warfare, but that he did not think a new attack was approaching.
Speaking at a mass wedding for those injured in the last war on Gaza, Haniyeh said threats of war could not harm Palestinians' spirits or ability to survive. The wedding party was evidence of that, he said.
Haniyeh's comments echoed earlier remarks by Hamas leader Ismail Radwan, who said statements by senior Israeli army officials threatening a new war on Gaza were propaganda to be consumed by local media for the benefit of Israelis.
Radwan added that the resistance movement in the Strip was ready to respond if Israel did attack Gaza. Such offensives did not break the resistance of Palestinians in the past, and they would not break or intimidate Palestinians now, he said.
Hamas official Salah Al-Bardawil however said Saturday that Israel was preparing to launch a new offensive on the Strip in order to disrupt reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. The rival factions are said to be close to ending their division, and both parties have said security remains the only issue to be resolved before Hamas signs an Egyptian-mediated unity paper, which Fatah has already ratified.
Several high-ranking Israeli officers have made statements to the media recently warning of a repeat of Israel's last war on the coastal enclave, which left 1,400 Palestinians dead and thousands more injured. One senior officer, quoted in the Israeli daily Haaretz, said if another soldier was captured Israel's response would be no less severe than the December 2008 war. In September, commander Eyal Eisenberg warned that the next war on Gaza would be a "more painful, complex, and powerful round" in an interview with the Israeli news site Ynet.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329203
Political analyst: Egyptian officials informed of next Israeli strike on Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- Top Egyptian officials informed Palestinian authorities in Ramallah that Israel has its sights set on launching a military strike on the Gaza Strip by the end of 2010, political analyst Mustafa Al Sawaf said, adding that Cairo has placed conditions to hinder agreement between Palestinian factions on security issues.
Sawaf told the PIC Saturday that he was informed by sources who accompanied a visit by Egyptian officials to the PA headquarters in Ramallah last Thursday that Egyptian intelligence minister Omar Sulaiman told Abbas that Netanyahu's security consultant, who visited Cairo a few days back, informed Egypt that Israel will carry out a military strike on the Gaza Strip before the year's end.
Quoting informed sources, Sawaf said Omar Sulaiman told Abbas that Netanyahu's consultant said the Israeli government was not content with Hamas's growing military strength or with humanitarian aid convoys allowed to be sent to the Gaza Strip through Egypt.
Sawaf speculated that the Egyptian government may tighten its blockade on the Gaza Strip by denying the passage of aid convoys and sympathizers and monitoring borders to stop the import of weapons to Gaza.
Sawaf said that Cairo imposed conditions on Fatah negotiators before going to meet with Hamas in Damascus to discuss security issues mainly not to accept that Hamas cadres would assume command of any security forces in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, but the Egyptian regime did not object to Hamas members acting as elements of such security forces.
Hamas would not agree to such conditions, the political analyst asserted, which means that a reconciliation relied on by the Palestinian people would not be achieved.
We're not talking about this to undermine Egypt, as Egypt is too big to be undermined, but we put these matters out there now so the picture becomes clear to everyone, and to reveal the nature of the [Egyptian] regime, which works to materialize the interests of Israel and America at the expense of the interests of the Palestinian people,%u201D the writer went on to say.
http://bit.ly/a2o1a8
Israel: 2 projectiles fired from Gaza
TEL AVIV (Ma'an) -- Two projectiles fired from Gaza landed in southern Israel on Saturday, an Israeli army spokesman said.
The projectiles landed in Kerem Shalom in the northwestern Negev, and no damage or injuries were reported, the spokesman said.
So far, no faction in Gaza has claimed the launches.
Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar on Saturday criticized militants who continued to fire projectiles towards Israel, in an interview with the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat. Zahhar said rebel militants were breaking a ceasefire which most factions had agreed to.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329165
Hamas official: Rocket launchers are rebels
Mahmoud al-Zahar slams armed militants who continue to fire rockets at Israel. 'Some of the factions didn't fire a single shot during the war and now want to market themselves,' he says.
Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat daily that the organization will not break the ceasefire with Israel agreed on after Operation Cast Lead.
"There is an agreement about a state of calm which was reached after the war with the help of Egypt and all the factions agreed on it," he said. "Did we agree to it only to break it? Why are we being criticized for something we agreed on together with Fatah and the factions?"
Al-Zahar slammed the rocket launchers and said, "They rebel against their own factions and this is proved by the fact that no one has ever taken responsibility. Do they expect us to shake the hand of a man who rebels against his own factions? Opening the door would lead to chaos. Some of the factions didn't fire a single shot during the war and now they want to market themselves."
The Hamas official also insisted that it is the US, and not Iran or Syria, that is impeding reconciliations efforts with Fatah.
When asked whether Iran and Syria were sabotaging reconciliation efforts he replied, "What does Iran have to do with the issue of reconciliation and what good would the two countries gain from impeding the efforts? Reconciliation will not hurt Syria. Would Syria object because Egypt is sponsoring the talks? That's unreasonable. Syria is not in competition with Egypt."
Al-Zahar noted that Egypt also sponsors the Shalit prisoner swap deals and peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3976911,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:08 , Respect -
Haneyya: Israel's war threats are only psychological warfare
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya ruled out that the Israeli occupation state would wage a new war on the Gaza Strip and expressed his belief that the Israeli threats in this regard are only part of psychological warfare aimed at undermining the morale of the Palestinian people and their resistance factions.
Haneyya made his remarks Saturday evening in a mass wedding ceremony of the Palestinian citizens wounded in the last Israeli war on Gaza (named Al-Furqan war by Hamas).
"I do not expect there will be a war soon; this enemy sustained a big failure in Al-Furqan war and scandals are still chasing it after the aggression, Goldstone report and Freedom Flotilla [attack], and its leaders cannot visit some capitals of the world," the premier told the attendees.
"Although we know the nature of this enemy and that it cannot be trusted, we are patient; these leaks, which some regional powers are involved in, will not undermine our determination, will and ability to survive and the clearest evidence is this wedding that reflects the people's high spirits," he added.
"The enemy is busy attempting to break the steadfastness project in Gaza, and we are busy with the project of construction and finding more powerful elements for this people and the restoration of their unity on the basis of their rights, constants and resistance," the premier highlighted.
http://bit.ly/bbzv8G
Hamas rules out Israeli war on Gaza
Democratically elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
Democratically elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has ruled out the likelihood of another Israeli offensive against the blockaded Gaza Strip in the near future.
"I don't think that there is a war knocking at our doors because the Israeli enemy was taught a great lesson," Haniyeh said on Saturday, referring to the last Israeli war.
He added that Israeli threats to launch a new conflict on the coastal strip were psychological warfare, Ma'an news agency reported.
Haniyeh made the remarks during a mass wedding ceremony held for those injured in the last war on Gaza.
The Israeli military launched a deadly assault on the besieged Gaza Strip at the turn of 2009, killing at least 1,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injuring thousands more.
Several high-ranking Israeli officers have recently warned about launching a new war in the region.
In an interview with the Israeli news website Ynet last month, Israeli commander Eyal Eisenberg warned that the next war on Gaza would be "more painful, complex, and powerful.
The Palestinian movement of Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after it won the last Palestinian legislative elections.
Following the victory, the coastal sliver has been under Israeli siege. The 1.5 million people of Gaza are in dire need of basic humanitarian supplies.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/148988.html
Israeli vehicle under attack in WB, no casualties
BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- An Israeli car came under fire while passing near Battir village west of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Saturday night but no casualties were reported.
The Israeli radio said that the car was carrying settlers but none was hurt as a result, noting that a bullet had penetrated the back door.
A big number of Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene along with ambulance vehicles, the broadcast said, adding that the Israeli military searched the nearby Battir and Husan villages in search of the attackers, believed to be Palestinian resistance fighters.
a number of resistance attacks were recently reported in the West Bank against the Israeli occupation and its settlers despite the security coordination between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Authority's security apparatuses.
http://bit.ly/bNQEfC
Hamas leader won't confirm ceasefire reports
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar opted not to confirm reports published Saturday by the London-based Al-Hayat daily claiming that he described rocket launchers as mutineers against their own factions.
Speaking to Ma'an, Zahhar said, First of all, I have not spoken at all to many newspapers recently. Secondly, during meetings over security arrangements, there has been reference to single cases within some factions. However, our official stance is that any Israel incursion in any area will be dealt with as an incursion whether it is in the north, the south or the center.
So, he continued, the resistance's agenda is one of self-defense, but some media outlets, especially those affiliated to certain factions, tend to exaggerate and show that we are adopting a new strategy against resistance comparing us to other factions who abandoned resistance.
Asked about Hamas sponsoring an agreement between factions to stop firing projectiles at Israeli targets, Zahhar said there were three agreements; one in 2003, another in 2005, and a final one in 2008, one year before Israel's military offensive on Gaza. The ceasefire agreement in 2008 was violated by the Israeli forces by waging war on Gaza. Then after the war there was a ceasefire agreement through the Egyptians after a UN decision. Thus, we abide by agreements, and if there is any aggression, everybody has the right to respond.
Asked if Hamas was preventing firing projectiles toward Israel while criticizing Fatah for doing the same, he answered, Fatah wants to prove that Hamas is an exact reproduction of Fatah when they used to confiscate weapons of resistance fighters and jail using the excuse of agreements with Israel. They think Hamas will follow in their footsteps. Hamas is not a reproduction of Fatah and will not follow in their footsteps.
He explained the difference between self-defense in case of aggression against the Palestinians as in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009, and between security cooperation with Israel as Fatah does.
Fatah used to detain activists, torture them and confiscate their weapons, but Hamas never confiscated weapons, neither did Hamas prevent anybody from resistance. However, we agreed on what we called economized resistance. Thus, I warn of attempts by the Fatah-affiliated media outlets trying to show that Hamas follows in Fatah's footsteps.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=329255 19 jan 2012, 21:08 , Respect -
Hamad said the police officers were members of all factions, not 'Hamas fighters' http://bit.ly/aqpOpg
jmalsin@haaretzonline & Israel Radio are mistranslating this report re: Gaza dead http://bit.ly/bJqIsu See Al-Hayat interview: http://bit.ly/aqpOpg
200-300 Hamas men died in Cast Lead, group admits for first time
Israel Radio quotes Hamas minister as denying al Qaida is active in Gaza, saying 'We are moderates - we don't like extremists or fanatics.'
Hamas confirmed for the first time on Monday that between 200 and 300 members of the organization's military wing were killed during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008, Israel Radio reported.
Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 in efforts to curb missile fire from the Palestinian territory into Israel's southern communities. Immediately following the operation, Hamas reported that less than 50 of its men had been killed.
Hamas' Interior Minister Fathi Hamad, who was confirmed the figures in an interview with the London-based Arabic language daily Al-Hayat, said that the so-called "police officers" who were killed during the first day of the operation were actually 250 Hamas fighters, and that 150 additional "security personnel" were also killed.
Israel Radio indicated that these figures were consistent with the numbers initially reported by the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Unit immediately following the operation, which Hamas denied.
Hamad also addressed the ongoing negotiations over the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, saying that Israel wants to complete a prisoner exchange deal "at the lowest possible price" but that eventually it will come around and pay the full price Hamas demands.
Shalit was captured by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in 2006. Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons, some involved in deadly attacks against Israelis, in exchange for Shalit's release.
Hamad also denied allegations that al-Qaida operatives were active in Gaza. "We are moderate people, and we don't like extremists or fanatics," he told Al-Hayat. "We don't need weapons or Jihad fighters %u2013 anyone who wants to help us can send money."
http://bit.ly/aTabLy
Hamas confirms losses in Cast Lead for first time
Hammad: No al-Qaida in Gaza; we are are centrists, we do not like zealots and extremists; claims Israel trying to escalate situation in Gaza.
Hamas Interior Minister in the Gaza Strip Fathi Hammad on Monday told London-based Al-Hayat that al-Qaida does not have any presence in Gaza and discussed casualties in Operation Cast Lead as well as the Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange talks.
Hammad said in the interview that Hamas is ready for war but ruled out an escalation anytime soon, saying that "Israel has always sought to escalate the situation in Gaza in order to wage war, and we are not afraid of war." The senior Hamas man continued, "We expect that there are wars to come, but the international situation, and the regional situation is not suitable for war at the present time."
However, the Hamas official accused Israel of provoking the US into fighting a war with Iran, saying, "We have the heart of one man," and adding "we have the ability to confront."
Responding to accusations that the people of Gaza had paid the price for Hamas' war with Israel, Hammad retorted, "They say that people who are affected by this war, but is Hamas not a part of the people?"
Talking about losses in the war, Hammad confirmed significant personnel losses in Hamas' military wings for the first time. He said, "On the first day of the war, Israel targeted police stations and 250 martyrs who were part of Hamas and the various factions fell." He added that, "about 200 to 300 were killed from the Qassam Brigades, as well as 150 security personnel."
Hammad also claimed that Israel too had deflated its casualty numbers, claiming that 50 Israelis were killed during Cast Lead, but that "they [Israel] acknowledged only 12 people."
Responding to reports of human rights abuses committed by Hamas security forces in the Strip, he said, "We are not a society of angels." He added: "We seek to advance the institutions and training, we are keen on the prestige of the police and their enforcement of the law. At the same time, we need to preserve the dignity of the citizen."
When asked if he fears al-Qaida cells in the Strip, he responded: "We do not have an al-Qaida base in Gaza." Trying to distance Hamas' ideology from Osama bin-Laden's terrorist group, he claimed, "We are centrists and are proud of that, we do not like zealots and extremists."
Discussing the ongoing prisoner exchange talks with Israel to release captive soldier Gilad Schalit, Hammad said that "Israel is interested in striking a bargain," but pointed out that it wants to limit Hamas' success," and therefore to secure Schalit's release for the cheapest price.
He said that a deal to release Schalit was on the verge of completion, but claimed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu backed out of the deal at the last minute. He claimed that "Netanyahu wanted to prevent a large number of prisoners from being released," adding that there were also issues with the names on the list.
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=193521
'No change in Hamas resistance policy'
Senior member of the Islamic Hamas movement Mahmoud Zahar
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar has dismissed indication by media reports of a change in the Islamic movement's stance toward anti-Israeli resistance.
The London-based al-Hayat daily newspaper published an article, citing the Hamas leader as describing those launching rocket attacks against Israel as %u201Cmutineers against their own factions.%u201D
"First of all, I have not spoken at all to many newspapers recently. Secondly, during meetings over security arrangements, there has been reference to single cases within some factions," Ma'an news agency quoted Zahar as saying on Sunday.
"Our official stance is that any Israel incursion in any area will be dealt with as an incursion whether it is in the north, the south or the center," the Hamas official stated.
Zahar further accused "some media outlets, especially those affiliated to certain factions" of trying to "show that we are adopting a new strategy against resistance comparing us to other factions who abandoned resistance."
Asked about an agreement among Palestinian factions to stop firing projectiles at Israeli targets, Zahar said there were three agreements, one in 2003, one in 2005 and another in 2008 -- prior to Israel's devastating onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas leader recalled the breach of a 2008 ceasefire by Israeli forces that killed more than 1,400 Palestinians during the 22-day war on Gaza. He said the Islamic movement abided by the agreements, but reserved the right to respond to Israeli incursions.
Zahar criticized media affiliated with the rival Fatah party for attempting to present Hamas as an "exact reproduction of Fatah when they used to confiscate weapons of resistance fighters and jail [them] using the excuse of agreements with Israel."
"Hamas is not a reproduction of Fatah and will not follow in their footsteps," he stated.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149154.html
Southern communities petition High Court for protection
Heads of communities surrounding the Gaza Strip demand gov't deploy the Iron Dome defense system, complete construction of protected rooms.
Residents of communities surrounding the Gaza Strip will petition the High Court on Monday in an effort to reach a ruling which would require the government to protect and shield the region from threats posed by Palestinian terrorists.
According to the residents, they were informed that there is "no chance" the defense establishment will deploy the Iron Dome missile defense system to their communities in the coming years.
Four of the regional authorities participating in the petition will demand the court issue an order which will hold the government accountable to protect the communities by deploying the Iron Dome system or by completing the construction of an additional 2,500 reinforced rooms within homes in the threatened region.
Representatives of 24 communities from the Eshkol, Sha'ar Hanegev, Sdot Negev and Hof Ashkelon regional councils will demand the government follow through with its February 2008 decision to protect their communities.
According to the 2008 decision, all communities located four-and-a-half kilometers from the border with Gaza will be protected from rocket fire by the Iron Dome system. It was also decided that, according to the operational capabilities of the system, communities located closer than four-and-a-half kilometers from Gaza will be reinforced with to-be-constructed protected rooms. However, after Iron Dome was tested, it was discovered that the system is not capable of intercepting rockets in the range of four-and-a-half kilometers or less.
Heads of the communities argue that, according to the legal definition, communities around the Strip are within a seven kilometer range from the border. Since the government decision, the heads of the communities said that they were told that Iron Dome will not be deployed in the mentioned communities in the coming years. Kindergartens, residents' homes, and public buildings in many of the communities are currently exposed and unprotected.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=193515
Witnesses: Israeli tanks operating in central Gaza Strip 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Israeli Soldiers Shot a Citizen in Gaza Strip 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Bardawil: The resistance, not Abbas, prevents new Israeli war on Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Salah Al-Bardawil stated that the strength of the Palestinian resistance and the international solidarity with the Gaza Strip are the only reasons that prevent Israel from waging a new war on the Strip and not the weak stands of de facto president Mahmoud Abbas.
"We know that the Zionist enemy does not think of a new war on Gaza and it cannot do so, especially after it saw the size of the international sympathy with the Palestinian people and the legal actions taken against its crimes as well as when it saw the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their resistance," Bardawil told Quds Press on Wednesday.
He also criticized Israeli media claims that Abbas is trying to escape from the peace talks with Israel, saying that Abbas is always desperate to talk with Israelis and is still begging them to stop their settlement activities after he lost everything he can negotiate for.
The Hamas official also defended the sincere attempts of Saudi Arabia to bridge the gap between his Movement and Fatah faction and expressed his rejection of allegations that accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting extremism and portray Israel as the only democracy in the region.
Bardawil made his remarks in response to Israeli media allegations in this regard.
http://bit.ly/8XIDCZ
One Killed, Four Injured by Israeli Missile Strike in Gaza City 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Hamas, Fatah to meet in Damascus to discuss reform of security apparatuses
GAZA, (PIC)-- Hamas and Fatah Movements intend in the next few days to hold a meeting in Damascus to discuss contentious issues regarding the national reconciliation, especially the rebuilding of the Palestinian security apparatuses in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In this context, specialists in the Palestinian political affairs opined in separate press statements to the Palestinian information center (PIC) that achieving unity depends on good faith on both sides, but any reconciliation agreement could be hard to implement in the West Bank, for there are some officials whose own interests come into conflict with the reconciliation.
"There are no guarantees from any party to implement the reconciliation agreement, except their good intentions, so there is a fear that Fatah authority could use its engagement in the Palestinian reconciliation talks as a maneuver or [political] leverage in reaction to the failure of the direct negotiations between Ramallah and the Zionist entity," said political analyst Hasan Abdo.
Asked about the possibility of implementing the agreement in the West Bank, Abdo said, "It is clear that Fatah leaders in the West Bank have a different agenda with regard to the security apparatuses, and we hope these apparatuses will not disrupt the atmosphere of reconciliation, which is supported by the Palestinian people from all strata, through their persistence in arresting and hunting supporters and leaders of Islamic movements."
For his part, political analyst Hani Habib stated the real breakthrough in the reconciliation is to find a way to have the agreement implemented in the West Bank.
"I do not think this matter will be easy, for there are influential parties in the West Bank, whose interests go against the achievement of a genuine and serious reconciliation," Habib underlined.
http://bit.ly/bEXxHY
In Gaza, rise of Hamas military wing complicates reconciliation with Fatah
The rising clout of Al Qassam in Gaza dims prospects for mending the Hamas-Fatah rift. Reconciliation talks are slated to start Nov. 9.
Abu Khaled has been a member of Hamas's military wing for 11 years and he looks the part. His thick beard, black clothes, and serious face bear witness to his rise through the ranks to become one of the leaders of the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, near Israel's border.
But at this moment, as he softly sings along with popular Arabic pop singer Elissa in a deserted Gaza restaurant, it's hard to believe he fought in the fierce 2007 battle that expelled Fatah, Hamas's secular rival, from Gaza.
When asked about reconciliation with Fatah, however, he snaps back into the role of tough militant leader.
"There is no reconciliation," he says sharply. "How can I reconcile with someone who killed my brother?"
Most Gazans are not optimistic that Hamas considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel will end the divide with Fatah, which dominates the internationally backed Palestinian Authority (PA) in charge of the West Bank.
But they want such reconciliation, because it would not only improve their standard of living and pave the way for overdue elections, but also enable Palestinians to present a united front in negotiations with Israel on a future Palestinian state.
Al Qassam members don't see reconciliation as an option
But reconciliation is not an option for Al Qassam members, who make up a large part of Hamas security forces. Their bitterness toward Fatah still runs deep over the 2007 battle, and their victory brought a sense of ownership for Hamas power in Gaza that they will not easily give up.
"Al Qassam led the battle against Fatah and gave the victory to Hamas," says Abu Khaled. "The Hamas government was weak until Al Qassam took the power and handed it to Hamas. Without us, there wouldn't be a Hamas government."
That is part of the reason that Hamas is not likely to sign, much less implement, the Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation agreement that would restructure the security apparatus, giving Fatah a hand in Gaza security.
"[Al Qassam fighters] are the ones who kicked Fatah out of the Gaza Strip; they are the ones being hunted and tortured in the West Bank," says Mkhaimar Abusada, a political science professor at Al Azhar University in Gaza. "Qassam is against reconciliation and they will stand against [it] even if it means a big split within Hamas."
The Egyptian document also calls for dissolving militias understood to include Al Qassam and incorporating them into the security apparatus. Dissolving the force that is considered the resistance against the Israeli occupation is out of the question for most Palestinians, not to mention for Al Qassam itself.
Qassam seen as more powerful than Gaza's Hamas government
Al Qassam militants, whose role in fighting Israel during the 2009 Gaza war added to the clout they'd gained two years earlier, are perceived as being more powerful than the Hamas-run government.
Hamas security forces are largely drawn from Al Qassam members Abu Khaled says two-thirds of Hamas policemen are police by day and Al Qassam by night. Many Hamas government leaders are former or current Al Qassam members, or have sons in the armed brigades.
Many in Gaza tell stories of jailed Al Qassam militants who are sprung overnight by their comrades, with the police unable or unwilling to intervene. Some accuse members of the brigades of burning down Crazy Water, a restaurant and water park accused of having looser social strictures.
"All the government, especially the security apparatuses, are derived from Al Qassam," says Abu Mohamed, the leader of the cell in the Jabaliya refugee camp. "They belong to Al Qassam."
That sense of ownership is firm. If reconciliation were to happen, says Abu Mohamed as he idly pulls his pistol from his waistband and sets it on the floor, "Fatah must be under [Hamas] control in Gaza. We must control Gaza."
Talks conducted by Hamas political leaders
The reconciliation talks are conducted by the Syria-based political leadership of the Hamas movement, however, not the Gaza government. Al Qassam leaders stress that they have sworn allegiance to the leadership and will obey its orders. They are confident, however, that those orders will not include reconciliation.
Ahmed Yousef, deputy foreign minister in the Hamas government, dismisses such talk with a wave of his hand. "They respect their political leaders and they abide by the regulations, and they are restricted to what the political leaders are telling them," he says. "Those guys are smelling guns and bullets all the time. Don't count on what they say. The people who will decide are the politicians."
Dr. Yousef says the time is ripe for reconciliation, and the two sides will find a way to agree on restructuring the security apparatus. But distrust runs deep.
Early in October, Al Qassam leaders in Gaza held a press conference to denounce the PA's arrest of militants in the West Bank and threatened to retaliate against Fatah members in Gaza. "How could Palestinian reconciliation succeed if we still hear this language of threatening and incitement?" asks Mr. Abusada.
http://bit.ly/dn8Ljr 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Jerusalemite beaten, hospitalized 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Qassam hits Negev; no injuries
Relative calm in south disturbed as Palestinian terrorists launch rocket from north Gaza.
The relative calm in the Negev was disturbed Saturday morning when a Qassam fired by Palestinians in north Gaza exploded in the region. There were no reports of injury or damage.
The rocket landed in an open field within the limits of the Sdot Negev Regional Council.
Just last week Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar told the London-based Al-Hayat daily that the Islamist organization would not violate the ceasefire with Israel agreed on after Operation Cast Lead.
"There is an agreement about a state of calm which was reached after the war with the help of Egypt and all the factions agreed on it," he said.
Al-Zahar criticized Palestinian terrorists who fire rockets towards Israel, saying they "rebel against their own factions and this is proved by the fact that no one has ever taken responsibility. Do they expect us to shake the hand of a man who rebels against his own factions? Opening the door would lead to chaos. Some of the factions didn't fire a single shot during the war and now they want to market themselves."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3980351,00.html 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Israeli jets bomb homes in Gaza
IDF bombs Gaza tunnels
Gaza: Soldiers shoot worker near Beit Lahiya
19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
IOF troops fire at residential quarters in Rafah, round up more West Bankers
19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Projectiles fired from Gaza; Palestinians injured
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza residents said an Israeli artillery shell was fired Tuesday toward two workers near the south-eastern border with Israel, lightly injuring both.
An Israeli military spokesman said he was unaware of any Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, but said officials were aware of the firing of two projectiles toward Israel from an area near the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Only one of the projectiles landed in Israeli territory, he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332224 19 jan 2012, 21:09 , Respect -
Armed group says targeted Israeli bulldozer
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wing of Islamic Jihad said its forces planted a landmine which exploded under an Israeli vehicle in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The Al-Quds Brigades said the operation, at 8:15 a.m., targeted a military bulldozer in Al-Qaraqa, east of Khan Younis, "to affirm the right of resistance to any Israeli aggression."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332639
PFLP armed wing says operatives targeted tank
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said Wednesday that it fired several mortar shells toward Israeli targets in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in a statement that its forces targeted tanks near Sreij gate north of Khan Younis. The operation was "a normal response to Israel's crimes against the Palestinian people."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=332567
Gaza militants launch bomb attack against IDF patrol
Two bombs explode as army convoy passes along Gaza border - no casualties reported.
Two bombs exploded along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army confirmed.
The explosions were targeted at a passing Israel Defense Forces patrol compromising paratroopers, armored and engineering units, causing no casualties.
Following the blasts, IDF helicopters were called in and are reported to have opened fire.
Army patrols of the area later uncovered a third bomb, which IDF sappers destroyed by controlled explosion.
Palestinian media reported that the Islamic Jihad militant group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamic Jihad has repeatedly ignored orders by Gaza's ruling Hamas faction to halt rocket and bomb attacks as part of uneasy truce since Israel's invasion of the Strip nearly two years ago.
http://bit.ly/b5HJnq
Hamas denounces political arrest of senior PLC member
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas strongly denounced Israeli authorities for the arrest of senior Palestinian Legislative Council official Mahmoud Al Ramahi Wednesday, calling for his immediate release.
The resistance group condemned in a statement it issued Wednesday the move as a crime, adding that Israeli authorities seek to silence anyone who calls to protect and restore Palestinian national rights.
The group said it holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the life and well-being of Dr. Ramahi, calling on the Palestinian Authority and Fatah parties to put an end to all forms of security coordination, which grants the occupation a cover for more crimes against the land and people.
PLC chief Dr. Aziz Dweik, addressing the media Wednesday, called on politicians the world over to stand in the face of Israel's disregard of the Palestinian people and their legitimate leaders, also calling on decision-makers to uphold their responsibilities toward the Palestinian people and preserve their democratic choice when choosing their legal representatives.
Fouad Al-Khafsh, director of the Ahrar human rights center in Palestine, said Ramahi's arrest demonstrates Israel's complete denial of Palestine's legitimacy, abuse of every sense of democracy, and real disregard of all international conventions and norms, which provide elected politicians complete immunity, especially from foreign entities.
This was the second time Dr. Mahmoud Al Ramahi was arrested while he was a member of the legislative council. He was abducted Aug. 20, 2006 and released March 31, 2009 after spending 33 months in detention; and it was the third time in Dr. Mahmoud al-Ramahi's history, as he was placed in detention Feb. 16, 1992 until Apr. 15., 1995.
Ramahi's wife told the Ahrar center that a large Israeli military force raided their Al-Beira home at 3:00am in the West Bank city of Ramallah Wednesday morning and took him to an unknown destination after requesting that he leave with them.
Khafsh added that Anas Halayeqa, son of PLC member Samira Al-Halayeqa, and PLC member representing Al-Khalil Hatim Qufaisha, MP Al-Za'arir, and Abdul-Jabir Fuqaha from Ramahllah were also recently detained by Israeli forces.
Rights groups in Palestine assert that Israel's unjustified spree of arrests against politicians is aimed at impairing the PLC until it becomes unable to pass decisions.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said Ramahi was detained to deliberately exclude him form the outside world, adding that Israeli forces have abducted almost all West Bank and Jerusalem PLC members, especially those nominally allied under the title of Islamic representatives.
A total of ten PLC members have been placed in Israeli detention, seven of them belonging to the Change and Reform Bloc. They have been identified as: Hassan Yousef, Mohammed Abu Teir, Basim Al-Za'arir, Abdel-Jabir Al-Fuqaha, Dr. Ayman Daraghima, Dr,. Hatim Qufaisha, and Dr. Mahmoud Al-Ramahi. Fatah party MPs Marwan Al-Barghouthi and Jamal Al-Teirawi, and Popular Front MP Ahmad Saadat have also been detained.
http://bit.ly/8ZJEii
Ahrar center slams IOF for kidnapping PLC secretary-general
GAZA, (PIC)-- Ahrar center for prisoners' studies and human rights strongly denounced the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for kidnapping at dawn Wednesday secretary-general of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC) Mahmoud Al-Ramhi from his home in Ramallah city.
Director of the center Fouad Al-Khafsh said that the kidnapping of MP Ramhi is a violation of all international laws and conventions that granted all parliamentarians full immunity against imprisonment, and a disregard for democratic values.
The wife of Ramhi told Ahrar center that a large number of Israeli troops stormed their house in Al-Bireh town at dawn today and asked both of them to leave the house before they rounded up her husband and took him to an unknown destination.
The IOF also kidnapped Anas Halaiqa, the son of Hamas lawmaker Samira Halaiqa. He is a student at the faculty of journalism at Al-Khalil university.
Two weeks ago, the IOF kidnapped Hamas lawmaker Hatem Kafisha and extended for the fifth consecutive time the administrative detention of Hamas lawmakers Basem Al-Za'arir and Abdeljaber Faqha.
For his part, first deputy speaker of the PLC Dr. Ahmed Baher, who is now on a pilgrimage visit to Makkah, also deplored the kidnapping of MP Ramhi and called on Fatah faction to take the initiative and open the closed headquarters of the PLC in the West Bank in response to Israel's crime against an elected Palestinian lawmaker.
Dr. Baher added that the kidnapping of Ramhi unveiled further the sadistic and barbaric face of Israel, and the creed of violence and terrorism that governs its existence.
http://bit.ly/cgDBrs
Israel kidnaps Hamas lawmaker
The secretary-general of the Palestinian parliament Mahmoud al-Ramahi
Israeli forces have abducted the secretary general of the Palestinian parliament in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Mahmoud al-Ramahi was kidnapped in his home in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday.
His wife said the soldiers who attacked their home had their faces covered.
The Israeli military has so far failed to explain the reason behind Ramahi's abduction. The developments came shortly after the re-launch of the reconciliation talks between the Hamas representatives and the Fatah party in Syria.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called the arrest "part of the comprehensive, systematic war against our homeland."
Ramahi, representing Ramallah in the Palestinian parliament, was among dozens of Hamas lawmakers and Cabinet ministers arrested by Tel Aviv in 2006 after Hamas captured Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier. While Ramahi was released in 2009, around a dozen of Palestinian lawmakers are still in Israeli jails.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces also kidnapped 11 Palestinians in different parts of the occupied West Bank in overnight operations.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/150440.html