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Hamas To Egptian Intelligence Official: Our Patience Has Limits
In an effort to avert a possible collapse of the fragile truce between Israel and Palestinians, Egypt has resumed its mediation efforts in Gaza for the purpose of reasserting the three-week truce, now endangered by increasing Israeli incursions into Palestinian population centers. On Wednesday, Col. Mustafa al Beheiri, Deputy-chief of the Egyptian Intelligence, arrived in Gaza to urge the leaders of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad to uphold the truce.
| Gotta beg them to keep their word... |
Al-Beheir, who played a pivotal role in convincing the resistance groups to accept the truce three weeks ago, met with Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Islamic Jihad leaders. Al Beheiri reportedly informed Palestinian leaders that attacks such as Sunday night's bombing near Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, in which two persons were killed including the bomber, would give Israel the pretext to break the cease-fire, and resume the open-war on the Palestinians.
| Got it: IJ's breaking the ceasefire gives Israel the pretext to break the ceasefire. Gawd! I love pure reason! |
Hamas leaders told al Beheiri that Israeli attacks and acts of assassination, as well as arrests of Palestinian activists, continued unabated, despite Palestinian restraint. "We told him that we are patient, but that our patience has limits,' said Ismale Haniya, a leader of the Islamic movement in Gaza. "The Zionist regime bears full responsibility for the collapse of the truce if it happens."
| "No matter how many people we kill..." |
Al Beheiri is expected to meet with leaders of the Islamic Jihad resistance groups later on Wednesday in an a bid to convince them to stick to the cease-fire. The Islamic Jihad, whose military Wing, Saraya al Qods (Jerusalem's regiments) took responsibility for the bombing, has reaffirmed its commitment to the truce. "This was an exception, it might be a warning to Israel that the Palestinians wouldn't stand idle while Israel continued to target and kill our people," said Muhammed al Hindi, a prominent leader of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Al-Hindi and other Palestinian leaders from Hamas and Fatah accused Israel of violating the truce on a daily basis by carrying out provocative incursions into Palestinian population centers and by assassinating Palestinian activists.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-07-10 |
