No Need of Authority for Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation: Yassin

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 15, 2002

No Need of Authority for Palestinians Under Israeli Occupation: Yassin

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Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leader and founder of the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) said on Saturday that there is no authority in the Palestinian territories as long as Israel occupies most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"In such circumstances of occupation and aggression, we are not in need for authority. Once the occupation ends, our people would have right to choose their own authority," Yassin told Xinhua in a special interview.

However, Yassin denied Israeli reports saying a secret document was seized by Israel in the Gaza Strip showing that Hamas has plansin the future to replace the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in case it collapses.

"Hamas has announced several times that it doesn't look for taking the authority from the PNA, because our main goal is not forthe authority but to put an end to the Israeli occupation," said Yassin.

Sitting in his wheeled chair, Yassin, who is a 66-year-old quadriplegia and has a long gray beard, founded the Hamas movement in Gaza in 1987, the year the movement launched the first Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation.

The 1993 Oslo peace agreement signed between Israel and the Palestinians ended the first Palestinian intifada which led to an end of more than 26 years of Israeli military occupation of most Palestinian territories.

Following the increase of Palestinian armed attacks and suicide bombings against Israel during the second Intifada that erupted in September 2000, the Israeli army reoccupied all of the areas under the Palestinian control.

Yassin reiterated that his movement's armed wing would never stop its suicide bombing and armed attacks in and against Israel, adding that as long as the Israelis target Palestinian civilians, Israeli civilians would be targeted.

"It is not reasonable to keep our children, women and aged people losing security while the Israelis are enjoying it," said Yassin, adding that "no one would prevent us continuing our Jihad (holy war) against Israel."

yassin said Hamas had halted attacks and respected its words, "but Israel unfortunately did not respect the Palestinians and continued its aggression against them."

"They (PNA) say stopping attacks in Israel would help the left wing in Israel to win. I would tell them that stopping attacks would support (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and make him win the elections," Yassin noted.

Israel has recently claimed that the terror group Al-Qaeda recruited Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to carry out armed attacksagainst Israel.

Yassin denied the reports and accused the Israeli security intelligence of recruiting Palestinian collaborators.

"I don't think we need an extra armed group to be added to all these Palestinian military groups that are fighting the Israeli army occupation," Yassin explained.

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