Hamas slams PLO for deciding to resume talks with Israel

[ 08/03/2010 - 10:15 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Movement of Hamas on Sunday strongly denounced the Palestinian liberation organization (PLO) for its decision to resume indirect negotiations with Israel, affirming that the PLO plunged itself again into the same dangerous abyss.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum warned that this decision would contribute greatly to breaking the isolation imposed on Israel as a result of its war crimes against the Palestinian people.

Spokesman Barhoum added that such position confirmed that Hamas was right when it demanded Egypt to take its remarks on its reconciliation paper into account especially with regard to reforming the PLO.

He underlined that the issue of reforming the PLO is crucial and very important because it is related to a national authoritative body that should protect the rights and interests of the Palestinian people.

Senior Hamas official Dr. Ismail Radwan also criticized the PLO’s decision, saying its approval to resume the negotiations dealt a blow to the national project.

In a press statement to Al-Bayan information center, Dr. Radwan stressed that this decision makes a mockery of the Palestinian people’s rights and holy shrines and was issued by an unconstitutional institution that is not eligible to issue such fateful decisions.

For its part, the Islamic Jihad Movements said that the decision to resume talks with Israel is part of a series of concessions made by the Palestinian authority (PA), considering it compelling evidence that the PA exploited the PLO to serve its own agenda.

The Movement added that such step makes the PLO lose its role and representation, and raises questions about its right to represent the Palestinian people in its current condition.

The PLO had agreed to have indirect negotiations with Israel despite the fact that most of its member factions rejected this decision or expressed their reservations.

Yasser Abdrabbo, the Fatah-affiliated secretary-general of the PLO’s executive committee, stated clearly that his committee decided to approve a US proposal about conducting indirect talks with Israel, although many factions and committee members rejected this decision.

This position coincided with the visit of US envoy to the middle east George Mitchell to the region to meet with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas.

In the same context, Hamas lawmaker Ismail Al-Ashqar condemned on Sunday the negotiations which the PA intends to conduct with Israel as frivolous and warned it of tampering with the Palestinian rights and constants.

For her part, Khaleda Jarrar, a senior official of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP), launched a scathing attack on the PA during an interview conducted by the Fatah-affiliated Palestine satellite channel.

Jarrar emphasized that the Palestinian people want leadership capable of uniting them and not vulnerable to pressures and stressed the need for holding the current leadership accountable for accepting to resume peace talks with Israel.

She added that the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is not frank with its people and its actions are not based on a sound institutional work, affirming that the PA’s return to its negotiation path is submission to the Israeli pressures and provides cover for settlement and Judaization activities.