| ... and I expect to wake up with a full head of hair tomorrow. |
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said today he expects Hamas to hand in its weapons after Palestinian elections this summer, but he stopped short of threatening to disarm the Islamic militants by force. A Hamas official dismissed the call, saying Abbas should first disarm his own Fatah movement. Abbas has been under pressure from the United States and Israel to rein in armed groups, as called for in the internationally backed "road map" peace plan. While repeatedly calling on militants to halt their attacks on Israel, Abbas has refused to take action against them, preferring instead to negotiate. Hamas has said it will take part in legislative elections set for July 17. It would be the first time the group has sought a place in the Palestinian parliament. During a news conference at his office in Gaza, Abbas welcomed Hamas' desire to join the political process, but said the group, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings against Israelis, would be expected to give up its militant activities after the vote. "When a movement or militia is transformed into a political party, I would say that there will then be no need for them to possess weapons," Abbas told reporters. "There will be only one authority, one law, and one legal gun. The issue is very clear, and this has been common practice throughout history." However, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zohri said the Islamic group would disarm only when Israel ends its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, adding that Abbas was in no position to preach to Hamas since the Palestinian leader has yet to disarm the military wing of his own ruling Fatah party, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. "The resistance is tied to the end of the occupation and not with joining the Palestinian parliament," Abu Zohri said.
The "road map" peace plan calls on the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups like Hamas, while also requiring Israel to freeze settlement construction. Neither side has carried out its obligations and the plan has been stalled since its launch in mid-2003.