(AKI) - Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Palestinian leader from the Hamas political faction, has accused Europe of ignoring what he called Israeli "massacres"."I am disappointed that Europe continues to go under the protective veil of the United States and remain silent in light of Israel's massacres [of the Palestinian people]," Haniyeh said in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Friday. "There are some European countries with whom we have good relations, but I would like them to play a more important role in the Middle East crisis", said Haniyeh. "We are ready to establish dialogue with them, but they have become closer to our enemy, since we were elected in 2006, and they use the same measure of assessment as the Americans do."
The US and Israel were shocked when Hamas was elected in in parliamentary elections in January 2006 and they repeatedly stated that they would not work with a Palestinian Authority (PA) that included Hamas.
Hamas is branded as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, Israel and the US. Haniyeh is a former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority and was dismissed from office by current president Mahmoud Abbas.
Referring to the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Haniyeh justified the launch of Qassam rockets against Israeli targets, calling it a response to Israeli raids in Gaza.
On Friday Palestinian militants fired at least 20 Qassam rockets to Southern Israel, mainly to the Negev desert and the city of Sderot.
The attacks came a day after Israel cut back its supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip, in response to a barrage of Qassam rockets launched by Palestinian militants.
The leader of the Islamist movement also spoke about a potential truce with Israel. "There is a big difference between a temporary truce, and a long-term truce," Haniyeh said. "For the first, we need an end to the raids and the [economic] embargo, while for the second, we need an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories and the liberation of all jailed Palestinians."
However, Haniyeh rejected a proposal from Abbas to reach a truce with Israel after the recent Gaza raids, branding it as a "provocation against the Palestinian people".
With regard to the possibility of early elections in the Palestinian territories, Haniyeh said: "We are in favour of early elections, but we think it is wrong for the PA to make it a necessary condition for dialogue with Hamas. When they [PA] do not put any conditions, they will find we are always available."