As Palestinian prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) vowed before the parliament to crack down on the arms and activities of resistance movements and incitement to violence, the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad flatly rejected to hand over their weapons, pledging the resistance will go non-stop. "Hamas rejects this call to hand over our weapons because all our lives, in the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, are in danger from the Israeli policy of assassination. We need to defend ourselves and our land," a Hamas leader told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "That would be suicidal," he added.
| "Besides, what would we do at weddings and funerals? Answer me that!" |
"This issue will threaten Palestinian security," he said, adding he did not think the Palestinian Authority would follow through on Abbas' pledge to "end the chaos of arms" made during a parliamentary session to approve his new cabinet.
| Nope. We don't expect any follow through, either... |
He said Hamas would try "very hard to avoid clashes" if the security forces tried to disarm them, but any response would be decided in conjunction with other Palestinian factions. "If the Palestinian Authority asks us to surrender our weapons we will refuse," said Abdal Aziz al-Rantisi.
| "Hey! Civil war? What's so different between that and what we've had for the past five years?" |
For his part, the spokesman for the Islamic Jihad Nafez Azzam, said the movement will never give up resistance unless the Israeli occupation has come to an end. "The Palestinian fighters had never laid down their arms at any point in time," Azzam told Al-Jazeera.
| "Without Armed Struggle™ we'd have to get jobs or somethin'..." |
Mohammed al-Hindi, of the same movement, called on Abbas "to protect our weapons against the Zionist occupier... We ask Abbas if he means the weapons of our resistance fighters or not."
| I think that's you he was talking about, chum... |
In a powerful speech to the Palestinian parliament earlier in the day, Abbas vowed to crack down on "illegal arms," incitement to violence and corruption, all âkey stepsâ demanded by Israel as steps to put the peace process back on track. "We call on the opposition factions to develop their dialogue and to stop the language of provocation. To end the disorder and the chaos of weapons ... will be one of the main tasks of the government," he said, adding that security forces alone would be allowed to carry weapons," said Abbas.
| That would seem to leave out Hamas and Jihad, unless they've become security forces... |
Addressing the parliament as it convened to approve his new cabinet, Abbas also extended his hand to Israel for renewed negotiations, but warned that real peace would only come if Israel dismantled Jewish settlements in the Palestinian lands. "There will be a real peace only without settlements. You have to choose," he said in a message to the Israeli people. "We reject terrorism from any party and in all its forms. We extend our hand in negotiation," he said. "The government will in particular concentrate its attention on the security of Palestinian citizens and their safety in their homeland. The government will ... pay most attention to the professional qualifications of members of security departments and will not be lenient towards any violation."
| Usually, it takes about 48 hours after a move like this for the next boomer to get into action. My guess is Wednesday night or Thursday morning... |
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