Hamas, Israel Reject Cease-Fire Proposal
Media Line News Agency
January 13, 2009
Israel and Hamas have rejected an immediate cease-fire proposed by the United Nations Security Council last week.
Khalid Mash´al, the head of what is known as Hamas´ political bureau in Damascus, said Hamas would not agree to a permanent calm unless it included a cessation of Israel´s military offensive, opening of the border crossings in the Gaza Strip and removing the blockade.
He said Hamas would oppose any deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip, because this would serve Israel´s security needs and would essentially be an occupation force.
"We´re the victims and we´re being massacred," Mash´al said. "We demand that the attacks stop immediately. This is not an equal war and not a mutual cease-fire," he said in a speech published on Hamas´s website.
"The movement will not accept a permanent calm because that prevents the right of the Palestinian people to resistance."
Israel has rejected calls to end the operation.
"No country in the world, including those preaching to us now, would demonstrate the same restraint that we´re showing," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"We´ve never allowed anyone to decide for us whether we can strike at those who are sending bombs to our kindergartens and schools, and we won´t allow it in the future," he said.
The Israeli military offensive, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, entered its third week on Saturday. More than 800 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed and thousands wounded since it began.
Israel is trying to weed out terrorists, stop the firing of rockets onto Israeli homes and prevent the smuggling of weapons and ammunition through tunnels from Egypt.
As of Sunday, Palestinians are continuing to fire rockets and mortars onto Israeli communities.
A Hamas delegation is currently in Egypt to discuss options for a cease-fire. They are talking with Egypt´s intelligence chief ´Umar Suleiman, as well as with officials from Turkey.
Israeli Defense official Amos Gil´ad is also heading for Egypt this week in order to reach a cease-fire agreement, which would meet Israel´s requirements.
Hamas officials in Gaza have gone underground and are practically impossible to reach by phone.
Whereas in the past they were readily available to speak with the media, all the officials The Media Line tried contacting in Gaza by cell phone have changed their numbers, shut down their phones or the lines had a busy tone.
Khalid Mash´al, the head of what is known as Hamas´ political bureau in Damascus, said Hamas would not agree to a permanent calm unless it included a cessation of Israel´s military offensive, opening of the border crossings in the Gaza Strip and removing the blockade.
He said Hamas would oppose any deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip, because this would serve Israel´s security needs and would essentially be an occupation force.
"We´re the victims and we´re being massacred," Mash´al said. "We demand that the attacks stop immediately. This is not an equal war and not a mutual cease-fire," he said in a speech published on Hamas´s website.
"The movement will not accept a permanent calm because that prevents the right of the Palestinian people to resistance."
Israel has rejected calls to end the operation.
"No country in the world, including those preaching to us now, would demonstrate the same restraint that we´re showing," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"We´ve never allowed anyone to decide for us whether we can strike at those who are sending bombs to our kindergartens and schools, and we won´t allow it in the future," he said.
The Israeli military offensive, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, entered its third week on Saturday. More than 800 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed and thousands wounded since it began.
Israel is trying to weed out terrorists, stop the firing of rockets onto Israeli homes and prevent the smuggling of weapons and ammunition through tunnels from Egypt.
As of Sunday, Palestinians are continuing to fire rockets and mortars onto Israeli communities.
A Hamas delegation is currently in Egypt to discuss options for a cease-fire. They are talking with Egypt´s intelligence chief ´Umar Suleiman, as well as with officials from Turkey.
Israeli Defense official Amos Gil´ad is also heading for Egypt this week in order to reach a cease-fire agreement, which would meet Israel´s requirements.
Hamas officials in Gaza have gone underground and are practically impossible to reach by phone.
Whereas in the past they were readily available to speak with the media, all the officials The Media Line tried contacting in Gaza by cell phone have changed their numbers, shut down their phones or the lines had a busy tone.