Hamas leader threatens Israelis
Terror chief Mahmoud Zahar says he is unmoved by Mofaz's threat to "send him to the place where Rantisi and Yassin are," says: "Israel knows full well that every strike at the Hamas leadership endangers the lives of Israelis who live close to Gaza"
Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar threatened Israelis living in the south-west on Friday, as he responded to threats made against him by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who recently said that "if Hamas, Zahar, and others continue with their Qassam fire, we will send them to where Rantisi and Yassin are."
Speaking at a Gaza press conference, Zahar said he was not worried by the threats. "Israel knows full well that every strike at the Hamas leadership endangers the lives of Israelis who live close to the Gaza Strip," said the Hamas chief.
Zahar used the same press conference to warn PA officials against delaying the Palestinian elections, due to what he claimed was their fear of election results.
Zahar referred to a report that appeared in the London based Arabic daily al-Shark al-Awsat, in which it was claimed that the PA officials were heavily pressurizing PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to delay the elections, scheduled for January 25.
According to the report, the officials advised Abbas to push back the elections and to cite the recent deterioration in the Palestinian security situation as the cause for the delay.
Zahar said it was important the elections be held on their appointed time, and claimed that Hamas was opposed to confrontations with the Palestinian Authority.
"We're not interested to getting to a stage in which Palestinian blood is spilt in internal struggles," he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas has blamed the PA's General Palestinian Intelligence organization for the recent kidnappings of five Hamas members. In a statement released by Hamas, the group claimed that the activists were kidnapped from various places in the West Bank.
'Severe escalation'
"If they are harmed by thuggish and criminal behavior, we will see it as a severe escalation, and the theatre for the Palestinian struggle will expand to every Palestinian city. We place full responsibility on the commanders of the General Intelligence and request that our brothers be released immediately," said the statement.
