Hamas calls on Arab summit to drop peace plan
Gaza rulers urge leaders of Arab nations to support group's battle against Jewish state, saying Israel will only respond to violence
About 2,000 people gathered at a Hamas-organized rally in Gaza, as Arab leaders convened in Damascus ahead of the annual Arab summit. Hamas was not invited to the summit hosted by its closest ally in the region.
Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya said Israel would only respond to violence, and encouraged others to join it.
"Cut all ties with Israel, withdraw the Arab initiative," he shouted. "The Zionist enemy doesn't have a vision of peace. Only force... fighting and holy war works with (Israel.)"
The Saudi-sponsored peace initiative, first floated in 2002, offers Israel peace with all Arab countries in return for withdrawal from all the lands it captured in the 1967 war, the creation of a Palestinian state with a Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the refugee issue.
Israel has rejected the initiative in the past, but has recently spoken favorably of it.
Mushir al-Masri, another Hamas leader, said the Arab initiative was a "burden" on Palestinians. "Hamas is defending the honor and dignity of this nation on the (Arabs) behalf," he said.
Haniyeh: Endorse Yemeni initiative
In a televised speech to the summit, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged Arab leaders to endorse a Yemeni initiative to reconcile the Hamas and its Fatah rival despite what he said were American and Israeli objections.
"We hope you don't allow any external interference in the way of reconciliation," he said. "Our people would judge the success or failure of the summit in Damascus on how seriously it deals with the lifting of the siege on Gaza."
The rally was peppered with pleas from children for a lifting of the closure imposed on Gaza after Hamas violently seized the territory last summer. "Your summit will be useless if you don't lift the siege on Gaza," a young boy screamed into a microphone.
Jordan, Iraq and Yemen, along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, announced that their top leaders will not attend this weekend's summit.
The annual summit is frequently plagued by no-shows. But this year, pro-US nations are deeply embittered with hard-line Syria, over its meddling in Lebanese affairs and support of Palestinian Islamic militant groups.
