Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said Wednesday the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement would not allow civil war to take place among Palestinians under any circumstances.
| "And if anybody tries it, we're gonna fight them in the streets! We'll fight 'em in the countryside! We'll fight 'em, ummm... Yeah. Guess that would be civil war, wouldn't it?" |
Yassin told reporters in Gaza that he was well aware that Israel and the United States were pushing Palestinians âto this direction.â
However, the veteran Palestinian Islamic leader said Palestinians, particularly the Islamists, wouldnât fulfill the âZionistsâ dreams.â
| "Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna do it. Nope. We'd sooner kill each other..." |
âAs we thwarted their nefarious designs in the past, we will do likewise this time. Civil war is a red line in our society. It transcends political and ideological divides.â Yasin said though that Hamas would continue the armed struggle against Israelâs colonialist occupation of the Palestinian homeland. He added that âour guns will be trained toward the occupier of our country; we shall not train our guns towards our brothers under any circumstances.â
| "'Less they provoke us, of course. And you know how easily we're provoked..." |
Yassin said Hamas would keep up the armed struggle⢠as long as the Israeli occupation of Palestine remained.
| "Yep. That 'n' disco is our life..." |
He labeled calls by the reformist Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas for disarming Palestinian resistance groups âunreasonable and suspicious.â
| "Whoever heard of such a thing? Wossa motta with having large numbers of armed fanatics running around and refusing the authority of the gummint?" |
âDonât we have the right to defend ourselves against an evil power of occupation? Should we let them kill us freely and at no price? It is lamentable that instead of pressing the occupying power to leave our streets and neighborhoods, we are being asked to disarm. That is unbelievable.â |