Hamas vows more attacks in West Bank with PNA warning against ruining peace

by Emad Drimly, Saud Abu Ramadan The killing of four Israelis in Tuesday night's shooting attack carried out by Islamic Hamas movement's armed wing near Hebron in southern West Bank, on Wednesday brought contradictory reactions from both Hamas and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

At the time that the PNA officials have warned of escalating the attempts to ruin the entire peace process, Hamas movement vowed more attacks, saying that "the heroic attack near Hebron was part of a series of attacks that will be carried out in the West Bank in the coming future."

Yahia Musa, a Gaza-based Hamas leader told Xinhua that Hamas " still sticks to the choice of armed resistance and doesn't believe in any other choices," adding "therefore, Hamas backs its armed wing, which carried out yesterday's attack, in escalating its operations against the projects of concessions."

The Hebron attack contradicts with previous Hamas leaders' indications that it would prevent its activists from carrying out armed attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip, which the movement has been controlling since it seized it by force in June 2007.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the armed attack in Hebron "aims at disturbing the peace process and it can never be considered as an action of armed resistance against Israel, since Hamas movement had stopped attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip."

In the meanwhile, Ghassan al-Khatib, chief of the PNA government press office warned that some Palestinians and Israeli parties are seeking an escalation of violence to ruin the peace process. He told "Voice of Palestine" Radio that Hebron attack doesn't serve the Palestinian cause or high interests.

"The attack doesn't serve the highest national interests of the Palestinian people. Its timing targets the exerted Palestinian efforts to gather a larger international support that serves the Palestinian national cause," said al-Khatib.

The attack was carried out as the Israelis and the Palestinians were heading to the United States to launch the direct peace negotiations to find a permanent solution over substantial issues, mainly Jerusalem and the settlements. Musa denied the attack was targeting the peace negotiations.

"It is not true that the timing of the attack was made to ruin the talks. We don't care about timing when we carry out attacks, but we focus more on the armed resistance which the only sole choice for liberating the lands of Palestine and gain our national rights," said Musa, who is also a Hamas lawmaker.

Asked if Hamas wants to disturb the Middle East peace process, the Hamas leader said what happens in Washington "doesn't represent any movement towards making peace in the region", adding that "it was just an American warrant sent to the negotiations team of the PNA."

"Such kinds of negotiations, which will be launched in Washington on Thursday, is not more than a cover for Israel to continue settlement and demolition and causing harms to the Palestinian people and to their just cause," said Musa.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Assaf, spokesman of Abbas' Fatah party, said the attack near Hebron "was a gift to Israel and had directly supported the Israeli position in order to drag Israel to carry out reactions against the PNA in the West Bank and destroy all its achievements."

"Hamas is seeking through carrying out such attacks to create a status of chaos in the West Bank," said Assaf, adding that the attack completely contradicts with the Palestinian interests, and "was carried out in a suspected time to undermine the peace process."

Khalil Shahin, a Palestinian writer and a political analyst based in the West Bank, said the attack near Hebron "is a start of a new era of violence and of escalating the armed Palestinian attacks in the West Bank against Israeli targets aiming at undermining the peace process."

He told Xinhua that he expects a tough Israeli reactions, mainly against the Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas movement. "But I don't think that Israel would use excessive reaction in order not to undermine the peace process," he said.

Shahin also said that launching the direct talks is considered a victory by the Israeli government.

The increase of attacks "would ease the international pressure on Israel and wouldn't commit Israel to a limited timetable for reaching a permanent peace agreement," he said.

Source: Xinhua