Mashaal: War in region possible

Hamas leader meets with heads of Palestinian factions at his Damascus home, says armed struggle against Israel to continue. Islamist group's Gaza government calls on armed factions to halt rocket fire on Israel for fear of escalation

Ali Waked|Published: 04.03.10 , 20:26

"The possibilities for war exist in the entire region," Hamas' exiled politburo chief Khaled Mashaal said Saturday following a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his home in Damascus, Syria.

"A conflict with the Zionist enemy is possible in any scenario," he told reporters, adding, "We shall realize our right by standing firm in the face of aggression through resistance."

Ahmed Jibril, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, said after the meeting that his group will carry on with the armed struggle. "The Mideast Quartet (US, UN, the European Union and Russia) is demanding that we give up on our principles, first and foremost the armed resistance, and recognize the Zionist entity.

"If all of these demands are the price, then we prefer the current situation," he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas' government in Gaza is trying to avoid further escalation. The Islamist group met with local armed factions and called on them to halt the rocket fire on Israel. However, the Salafi movement, an extremist Islamic movement identified with global jihad and al-Qaeda, did not take part in the meeting. The movement has claimed responsibility for most of the recent rocket attacks on Israel.

Hamas' security forces have been hunting down Salafi cells operating in Gaza.

On Friday Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh commented on the Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip Thursday night, which followed a rocket attack on Israel's southern region.

"My government is in talks with the Palestinian organizations to maintain a united stance with regards to the struggle against Israel," he said, and urged the international community to "intervene to put an end to the Israeli escalation."

The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed responsibility for Saturday's mortar attack on the western Negev.