Al-Aqsa Brigades – preparing for fresh fighting?
Photo: AP
Abbas: Lull must continue
Photo: Reuters
Palestinian groups: Lull gone to hell
Several Palestinian factions say time has come to prepare for renewal of fighting; PA leader Abbas: Provocations against Israel undermine Palestinian national interest
Several Palestinian groups have announced they support Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal’s call to prepare for the renewal of fighting against Israel, as the internal Palestinian debate over the relative lull in violence continues to rage.
On Saturday, Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shallah said the group will not renew its truce with Israel when it expires at the end of the year.
"We do not see that the results we obtained from the truce may encourage us to renew it for a single day at the end of this year," Shallah said in an interview with Hizbullah's al-Manar Television.
According to understandings reached by Palestinian factions in Cairo, the truce was scheduled to end at the end of the year. Despite earlier talk about possibly extending the lull, the matter is still undecided.
Palestinian Arena
Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal says group is scrapping truce with Israel; Gaza spokesman denies comments
However, several other groups – the Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees’ Salah al-Din Brigades, and several groups associated with the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – have announced “the calm has gone to hell,” in wake of recent targeted assassinations by Israel and a series of arrest raids by Palestinian Authority forces.
“The blood of the activists and senior figures assassinated in recent days is precious,” a joint announcement by the groups read. “Much more precious than everyone thinks. Therefore, for us there is no more room for talk about a fake, humiliating calm, while the Zionist enemy continues with its ugly crimes.”
“We are making it clear that we would not allow anyone to harm resistance activists and the resistance’s legal weapons,” the announcement added. “To hell with the calm and may all of its supported go to hell. We would not be accepting submissive cowards and traitors.”
Abbas: Lull must be extended
Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas responded to Mashaal’s remarks by saying the lull must continue in order to ensure security in all Palestinian Authority areas “so citizens do not feel threatened anymore by Israeli airplanes, missiles, and artillery.”
“Anyone firing rockets from the (Gaza) Strip in Israel’s direction is doing something in contradiction to the Palestinian people’s interests,” Abbas said. “Anyone undertaking provocations against Israel is in fact acting irresponsibly and against the Palestinian national interest.”
Abbas stressed the lull is ongoing and is not limited by time, and noted it was accepted by all groups as part of a Palestinian consensus. Still, it appears at this time the PA’s biggest problem does not lie with Hamas, who said it will respect the truce until years’ end at least, but rather, with other groups.
