A SENIOR Hamas official said the Palestinian Islamist movement will continue to arm its militants in the war-battered Gaza Strip as well as on the West Bank.
"We never failed to get arms into Gaza even during the (Israeli) war and under the bombardment," the Hamas representative in Beirut, Ossama Hamdan, told a rally in the Lebanese capital overnight. "We have the right to hold weapons. We will continue to get arms into Gaza and the West Bank ... Nobody should think that we will surrender to any measures," he said.
| Which means that the tunnel system has to be closed, that the Egyptians and Israelis have to cooperate, and that the Rafah crossing has to be monitored. Nothing else will do. |
"Warplanes, aircraft carriers and satellite technology will not be able to monitor the entry of weapons through Gaza's tunnels," Mr Hamdan said. "Things might get difficult, but we will do whatever it takes to continue our resistance against Israel."
| He said bravely from Beirut. Eat another goat in honor of your brave dead in Gaza, Your Enormity. |
Israel has signed an agreement with the United States to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons. Under the agreement, the United States will reportedly provide "logistical and technical assistance and... train and equip regional security forces in counter-smuggling tactics".
Cairo has repeatedly denied that arms have been smuggled into Gaza through a network of tunnels linking Egypt to the impoverished Palestinian enclave, saying the arms were being delivered by sea, an account disputed by Israel.
| Well then, why not close both down and see what happens? |
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