A senior exiled Hamas official rejected Monday any talk of a new truce with Israel unless all attacks on Gaza cease and the border crossings are reopened, and promised to confront any ground invasion. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' politburo, also told The Associated Press in an interview in Damascus that Palestinians had a right to strike everywhere in Israel in response to its assault on Gaza. Abu Marzouk pledged his group will not surrender and promised to face any Israeli ground invasion. "We are going to defend ourselves, defend our people and defend our land," he said. Well, you probably won't, seeing how you're in Damascus probably playing "hide the salami" with Khaled Mashaal...
Abu Marzouk said there can be no talk of a new truce with Israel under the present conditions. "Stop all kinds of aggression, open all (crossings), stop all the violence against the people in the West Bank," he said in English, listing Hamas' conditions for any future truce. The Hamas deputy chief said any party interested in brokering a truce agreement should be "take some responsibility" to see that it gets implemented by Israel - a reference to the Egyptian role in mediating.
| Abu Marzouk said the Israeli attacks were "against any international law" and stressed Hamas has the right to attack everywhere inside Israel in response. |
Abu Marzouk also called on Arab countries who have peace treaties with Israel - Egypt and Jordan - to sever those ties. He added he hoped Arab leaders meeting for an emergency summit meeting later this week to deal with the Gaza situation would send a very clear message to Israel to stop its assault.