No plan will ever work without a guarantee, in exchange for an end to hostilities by both sides, of a total Israeli withdrawal from all the land occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem; the release of all our prisoners; the removal of all settlers from all settlements; and recognition of the right of all refugees to returnIf Israel refuses to accept these terms then, Haniyeh warns, Hamas will continue its struggle using "all available means" - unless Israel capitulates, there will be no end to terror.
For those who think the Palestinians can be deflected from this course by Western pressure and further negotiations:-
The message from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to the world powers is this: talk to us no more about recognising Israel's "right to exist" or ending resistance until you obtain a commitment from the Israelis to withdraw from our land and recognise our rights.Haniyeh notes that Hamas was freely elected and now legitimately represents the Palestinian people:-
If we are boycotted in spite of this democratic choice - as we have been by the US and some of its allies - we will persist, and our friends have pledged to fill the gap. We have confidence in the peoples of the world, record numbers of whom identify with our struggle. This is a good time for peace-making - if the world wants peace.So, if the world wants peace from Hamas and their allies around the world, the Israelis must be made to surrender their state. The only alternative the terrorists have to offer is endless war.
Some choice, huh!
