Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Holy War) said on Saturday that the movement will not join a coalition government that is likely to be formed. Khaled al-Batsh, a local Jihad leader, made the remarks to reporters in Gaza in response to earlier reports that Jihad might take part in a national unity government. "We will not join any national unity government, but we will welcome it," said al-Batsh, asserting that his movement would stick to the choice of resistance against Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haneya recently agreed on opening talks about the coalition cabinet, though Haneya ruled out the coalition as long as the ministers and lawmakers from his ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) remained held in Israel. Seemed to be a response to Haneya's conditions, Israel arrested on Saturday Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaar in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Al-Batsh told reporters that the Islamic Jihad will not oppose the formation of a government where all representatives of Palestinian people are joining to overcome the crisis and counter the aggression in a united way. Talking about President Abbas' Thursday remarks about a ceasefire with Israel, al-Batsh voiced rejection to any truce with Israel for the time being, saying that Jihad's priorities now are centered around keeping up the resistance and driving the aggression away. "The issue of calmness with Israel would be subject for discussion and understanding only when the aggression is stopped completely," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Jihad's military wing also vowed to keep military operations in the Gaza Strip and deep inside the "Zionist" entity as long as the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people continued. A spokesman for the group, identified himself as Abu Abdullah, said that "there will be no truce at the expense of children and martyr's blood."