 For the first time in a decade, the founders and top political leaders of Hamas gathered on Saturday on the same stage, vowing to go on fighting Israel and claiming victory for the impending Israeli withdrawal. In a direct challenge to the Palestinian Authority, Hamas' top brass said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement could not be the sole decision-making body and insisted it has the right to possess arms, the latest sign that tensions are heating up in the days before Israel's Gaza pullout, set to begin on 15 August.
At Friday's Gaza sea-front event, Cabinet minister Mohammed Dahlan said all events would take place under the official Palestinian flag, a warning to Hamas which is planning its own military-style celebrations. Taking responsibility for the Israeli pullout, Abbas promised the West Bank and Jerusalem would be next. But the Hamas leadership - positioned in front of the group's logo and a green Islamic flag - challenged the Palestinian Authority statement, saying their armed struggle had led Israel to evacuate settlements, and vowed not to lay down their weapons until the Israeli occupation ends. "Hamas remains committed to the choice of resistance as a strategic choice. Hamas remains committed to its military wing and its right to possess weapons," said Ismail Haniyye, a top Hamas leader. Hamas does not plan to battle the Palestinian Authority, Haniyye said, but said: "Hamas rejects the idea of allowing any single party to monopolise the decision-making process." 
|
