From: joedees@bellsouth.net
Date: Tue Aug 06 2002 - 11:32:52 MDT
http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=217594&lang=e&dir=n
ews
Rantisi to Albawaba.com: those calling for halt of Martyrdom
operations have no relation with resistance
24-06-2002
It seems that the pressures put on the Palestinian factions to stop
their operations against Israel have come from inside as well as
outside the Palestinian lands. Following the Arab and Western
condemnation of such operations, intellectuals in the Palestinian
territories issued a statement calling for the halt of this form of
resistance.
A similar call was made by the Palestinian president Yasser
Arafat while the Israeli government was threatening to deport the
families of those who carry out suicide operations outside the
Palestinian lands.
On the other hand, another camp accused the Palestinian
intellectuals of betrayal and surrender to the Israeli orders which
are against the interests of the Palestinian people.
In his response to questions on these points, Hamas spokesman
Abdul Aziz al Rantisi said, all Palestinian factions including
Hamas carry out Martyrdom operations and so the majority of the
Palestinians advocate these operations.
He added, those who signed the statement do not in principle
believe in armed resistance and have never participated in
resistance either by stone throwing or carrying out Martyrdom
operations. They do not at all believe in resistance.
The Hamas top official added the number of these people does
not exceed 500 at the maximum and so they are next to nil
compared to the vast majority of the Palestinian people who
support the operations.
Rantisi described those who signed the statement calling for the
halt of suicide bombing operations against Israel as unknown and
sideline people driven by Europe. Their call is driven by the Euro
while the Palestinian peoples call is driven by blood, added
Rantisi.
Responding to a question about the intention of Sharons
government to deport the families of the Palestinian suicide
bombers outside the Palestinian lands or to Gaza Strip, Rantisi
said, these people do not believe in law.
Their law is the law of jungle, terrorism and killing.
Sharons government might take actions against the families of
the martyrs like what he did in past including the demolition of
their houses.
In other words the families of the martyrs were at risk before as
their houses were demolished and they were banned from travel in
addition to other forms of actions against them. But when the
martyrs mother smiles when she bids farewell to her son, she
does not think of what will happen to her. She thinks of something
greater than that.
By sending her son to die as martyr she believes that the homeland
is dearer than anything else. People who want freedom must
suffer and this formula should be understood by the Palestinian
people and act accordingly.
Regarding the hints by Sharons government to send these people
to Gaza, Rantisi said, Gaza is a big prison because it has the
highest population density in the world. 120 square kilometers of
the total strip area of 350 square kilometers are occupied as
Jewish settlements and the rest of the area is occupied by 1.2
million Palestinians. This is in addition to a narrow area
surrounded by an electronic fence and therefore when the Israelis
send the martyrs families to Gaza, they will be actually sending
them to a big prison.
Responding to a question on whether Hamas would discuss with
the PA a mechanism for resistance other than the martyrdom
operations in order to at least avoid the outside pressures on the
PA, Rantisi said, I am fully aware of the fact that the PA
wouldnt discuss any form of resistance because it has
commitments to Oslo agreement that do not include resistance.
We believe that the Martyrdom operations represent 90 percent of
the whole resistance and therefore it wont be easy to forfeit
armed struggle while the enemy has the most advanced arsenal of
weapons. (Albawaba.com)
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