(Al-Hayat-London/IDF) In an interview in Al-Hayat (London, Dec. 28, 2002), Khaled Mashal, head of the political wing of Hamas, said: "The rapprochement [between Hamas] and Fatah is a step in the direction towards the general cooperation between all of the Palestinian forces. There is no problem in cooperation [between Hamas and Fatah] regarding the question whether or not there will be a struggle, but the question is how to manage the struggle [against Israel], not how to end it." "It is important to continue the conflict to create within the Israelis a feeling that they cannot end the struggle by military means. [The conflict] will spur the Israelis to retreat or to negotiate with the Palestinian side." "Hamas is not against agreement that returns Israel to the 1967 borders, which it views as one step along the path [to liberating the entire territory of Palestine].
2002-12-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive