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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Hamas vows to remain armed |
| 2009-02-02 |
| Hamas political leader Khalid Mashaal says the movement is determined to remain armed as long as the Israeli occupation continues. Speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran, Mashaal ruled out the possibility of a "permanent ceasefire" with Israel, unless Tel Aviv ends its 19-month-long blockade of the Gaza Strip. "While the occupation continues, a permanent ceasefire has no meaning," said the Hamas official who arrived in Iran earlier on Sunday. He is scheduled to deliver a speech at Tehran University on Monday. "We believe that as long as the blockade continues, the (Israeli) aggression will also continue," he added. Israel has enforced a blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took power in Gaza in mid-June 2007. Despite international calls for lifting the imposed siege on over 1.5 million residents of the strip, Israel continues the blockade while threatening a new war on the region. Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened Gaza with another 'disproportionate' war after a 23-day-long offensive on the region killed almost 1,400 Palestinians, including women and children. Israel launched the three-week offensive in a bid to prevent the democratically-elected government of Hamas from arming its fighters. Tel Aviv, however, failed to achieve the objective as the movement resumed rearmament as soon as Israel halted the onslaught on January 18, announcing a unilateral ceasefire. |
| Posted by:Fred |