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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Thousands mark Hamas anniversary |
| 2008-12-14 |
| Thousands of people have gathered on Sunday in Gaza to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Hamas as Haniya was expected to announce whether or not the truce would be extended. A series of Hamas leaders have addressed massive crowds of supporters on the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Hamas movement. The day's festivities were aired on Al-Aqsa satellite TV, and are expected to be followed with a landmark speech by Palestinian Prime Minister of the Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh. "Hamas has gone from stonethrowing to guns and rockets, from a support base of a few thousand people to a backing of millions in Arab countries and around the world," one of the movement's top officials in Gaza, Mahmud Zahar, boasted on the Hamas website. "It has succeeded in striking at Israel's national security." Hamas television put the turnout for the afternoon demonstration in Katiba Square in the city centre in the hundreds of thousands. Hamas member Salah Al-Bardawil told thousands in Gaza City Sunday imprisoned member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Aziz Dweik is the next legitimate Palestinian President until such time as elections are called, Ma'an reported. Al-Bardawil told the crowd that Dweik would be the next President on 9 January "in accordance with the Palestinian basic law." He explained that Dweik will be president for 60 days during which he will prepare for presidential elections. Hamas officials say Israel failed to honour its side of the bargain by easing its crippling blockade of aid-dependent Gaza. According to the terms of the ceasefire Israel would open the Gaza Strip crossing points, allowing in sufficient quantities of fuel, food, goods and building supplies. The Strip had been under a tight blockade until the ceasefire took effect. During the six months of the agreement, however, Gaza was not sufficiently supplied. "There is no sense in extending the truce while the enemy is not respecting it and is keeping Gaza in a state of siege," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum, without saying whether the Islamists intended to declare it over. The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine on Sunday called on all Palestinian factions to refuse to renew the truce with Israel, which will expire on December 19, KUNA reported. The movement said in a statement that "The renewal of calm at this stage will give the Zionist enemy the opportunity to implement its plans against the Palestinians." According to this statement, "We call upon the resistance factions to agree on a consensus to refuse to renew the truce which has become a threat to the higher Palestinian interests." |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 Sounds like a good place for a couple of cluster bombs. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2008-12-14 13:21 |