The Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah was quoted Wednesday as saying that he believes the truce with Israel "would not last long." "The ceasefire's lifespan depends entirely on Israel's conduct. The agreement will be cancelled immediately if any of our conditions are breached," Shallah told the Lebanese A Safir newspaper.
Shallah added that the Islamic Jihad saw the resistance to the Israeli occupation as its strategy and thus the cease-fire was just a tactical move and not a long-term policy.
He conveyed that by declaring the truce, his group did not recognize Israel. However, the decision to announce this move was taken in order to "safeguard the Palestinian national interest." Shallah predicted that the Middle East road map would eventually fail as was the case of the Oslo Accords. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
