By Eyad Khalifa and Hanin Abu Alـrub
Albawaba.com - Amman
A top official at the Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, has said that the tragedy the US has recently suffered should prompt Washington to review its policy towards the Palestinians, “who are victimized by the Zionist terrorism.”
In a telephone interview with Albawaba.com, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahhar, added that the conditions set by Israeli Prime Minister Sharon to stop aggression against the Palestinians were not acceptable.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Q: Sharon has set conditions for the anticipated Arafat-Peres meeting, demanding an absolute calm for 48 hours and that the PA arrest members of the national forces. Do you think that President Arafat will respond to these demands?
A: So far we know nothing of arrests among the Islamic resistance movement, and we believe that the Palestinian public will never accept any Israeli condition however trivial, let alone conditions that would send us back to square one; i.e., to the Oslo Accords. I personally believe that no one will accept Sharon’s conditions.
Q: How does Hamas view an Arafat-Peres meeting?
A: We have had our say on that. All the Palestinians advise President Arafat against meeting Sharon or Peres.
Q: But Arafat might have to meet Peres under international pressures and amid the latest developments.
A: We have not committed any crimes against the US. In fact, the opposite is true. We do not have to pay for what’s happened in the international arena. Our stand is crystal clear. We are firmer in rejecting the Israeli terrorism, and the world supports us in that.
Q: In general, how does Hamas look upon the attacks on the US?
A: What happened should prompt the US to review its foreign policies; because attacks of such magnitude and accuracy means that there is no absolute power on this earth. We have suffered from terrorism, and believe that the US has to reconsider the concept of terrorism and realize that its policy towards the Palestinian issue is pro-terrorism.
However, our stand is that we are against killing innocent people.
