Amidst reports of a US proposal to dismantle both the Hamas and Islamic Jihad military infrastructures in return for amnesty for all Palestinian prisoners, Hamas leader - Dr. Abdel Aziz al Rantisi - has labeled the initiative as ‘shameless’.
Earlier on Tuesday, the London based Arabic daily Al Sharq Al Awsat - citing US sources in Cairo – reported about a US-proposed plan that would have Israel issue general amnesty for all Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners in return for the total disarmament of the two movements’ and the dismantling of their military infrastructures.
According to the report, the sources said that Washington is working hard at trying to convince Israel to accept the proposal before Arab mediators head out to Gaza to begin discussing it with the Palestinian factions.
“I want to offer an alternative to the US proposal. We can give the Zionists an opportunity to leave Palestine for their original homelands safely,” Rantisi told Al Bawaba via telephone. The Hamas leader, who narrowly escaped an Israeli assassination attempt earlier this year, described the American proposal as ‘shameless’.
“The Palestinians have been used to this American arrogance. We fight because our land was stolen in 1948 and we will continue our struggle until it is liberated,” said Rantisi. He added, “We are the ones who are being attacked and not the other way around. Therefore, I would tell them: leave our homeland safely and we will not pursue you anymore.”
For his part, Islamic Jihad leader Abdullah al Shami dismissed the latest US initiative and called upon the Bush administration to “stop playing games and looking for shortcuts, and instead should press Israel to put an end to its occupation of the Palestinian people and their homeland.” He reiterated that an end to the occupation would bring about a halt to Palestinian resistance, adding, “as long as there is occupation, the Palestinian people along with the resistance movements will reject all projects and initiatives.”
On another note, Rantisi confirmed to Al Bawaba that an Egyptian security delegation will be arriving in Gaza to meet with the leaders of several Palestinian factions, downplaying the importance of the ‘truce’ in these talks. “The Israelis did not respect the conditions stipulated by this truce, which was never made so that the Palestinians can get killed while the Israelis remain safe…the truce is dying,” said Rantisi.
The Islamic Jihad has taken a similar stance as far as the truce is concerned. “The idea of extending the truce is not a part of our thinking at present. We should discuss how to put an end to this calm as Israel has not committed itself yet to doing anything in return,” said Dr. Abdullah al Shami in a statement to Al Bawaba. He added that “the Palestinian movements have all complied with the truce but Israel has not responded to our conditions, and so we are considering ending the truce rather than extending it.”
According to informed sources, an Egyptian delegation will be arriving in Gaza within the next few days to discuss with the Palestinian factions ways to go about extending the fragile ‘truce’ with Israel, mainly in light of the [Israeli] violations (to the truce) that have led to the death of 15 Palestinians.
The sources believe that the Egyptian side will try to convince Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of the need to give diplomacy one more chance at guaranteeing the release of the Palestinian prisoners.
