Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday said that his country views the participation of Hamas in the January Palestinian elections as a threat, so long it has not disarmed and has not ditched its pledge to destroy the Jewish State.
“We warned that Israel views the participation of Hamas in the elections under the current conditions as a threat. This reality contradicts the Road Map (plan for peace) and our understandings with the Palestinians. We said that Hamas can participate in the elections only if it renounces violence, disarms and retracts its pledge to destroy the State of Israel,” the prime minister said, according to Ynetnews.
“We made it clear that, although the elections are an internal Palestinian affair in which Israel cannot interfere, the participation of Hamas will determine the nature of Israel’s cooperation with the PA during these elections, and will not allow us to extend our hand as we did during the elections for the PA chairmanship,” Sharon said.
Sharon comments came as the Israeli foreign ministry has launched an incitement campaign against Hamas with the aim of blocking this Palestinian Movement from contesting the forthcoming Palestinian legislative elections due on 25th January, 2006.
The ministry mentioned that Hamas had kidnapped and killed ten Israeli citizens since 1989, including Sasson Nuriel, who was abducted and killed by Qassam Brigades, the Movement's armed wing, some ten days ago.
Nuriel's abduction disproved Hamas' claims that it would cease attacks on Israeli settlements located inside the green line (the 1948 occupied Palestinian lands), which were intended to "ensure its participation in the PLC elections", it further alleged.
"Hamas' announcement of stopping Qassam fire at the Israeli settlements was a maneuver aimed at obtaining political power at a time the Movement was proceeding in exercising terrorist violence," it charged.
"There is no difference between Hamas' political and military wings as both are being run by the same persons with the same doctrines and ideologies. In addition, Hamas didn't recognize Israel's right to exist and is doing its best to impede the peace process. The Movement's charter also calls for killing Jews and adhering to fighting Israel till the Hebrew state was totally eliminated," according to the ministry.
It pointed out that Hamas' participation in the PLC polls was meant to grab power from the "moderate Palestinians championing co-existence with Israel".
"It's impossible to grant Hamas international legitimacy as long as it is still rejecting the basic standards that make it a legitimate party in the political arena. Of those criteria are renouncing "terrorism", accepting negotiations as the only solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and recognizing Israel's right to exist. And if the Islamic Movement didn’t accept such standards, it would be regarded as a dangerous Trojan horse in the Palestinian democratic process in addition to jeopardizing the peace process," the Israeli ministry concluded.
