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| Middle East |
| Tibi: Agreement within days |
| 2002-08-13 |
| Within a "matter of days" the militant Islamic Hamas organization could sign a draft political document with Yasser Arafat's Fatah and other groups which could halt attacks on civilians within Israel, Arab MK and former Arafat aide Ahmed Tibi said Monday. They could. They probably won't. "I believe we are speaking of a total halt to attacks on civilians within the state of Israel," Tibi said, but said the final wording of the understanding had yet to be released. Asked when Hamas might signal its agreement to the document, Tibi told Army Radio: "They are closer than they have ever been in the past." He said that Hamas had helped word the document, "and I believe it is a matter of days until they will give their answer regarding the substance." Even if it does come about, it won't be adhered to. At least one group won't sign it, maybe not Hamas, but some group. And I doubt Hamas will... In an interview on Radio Monte Carlo, Ismail Hania, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, said that the document will declare that the Palestinian struggle will from now on be concentrated within the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War; namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Hamas leader said that while Hamas has been involved in discussions on the document, the militant group has yet to give final approval for it to be delivered to Arafat. And since he has no control over them — so much for a Paleostinian "authority" — he's dependent upon their whims... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |