(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Iran summoned leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to Tehran after reports in the Arab media suggested that the Egyptians have made significant progress in their efforts to achieve a long-term ceasefire between Hamas in Gaza and Israel. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar downplayed the reports, saying that even if his group agrees to a temporary cessation of terror attacks against Israel, that would be only to allow Hamas to continue stockpiling weapons. "There's no ignoring our main goal: the liberation of all of Palestine," Zahar explained. The only explanation for Palestinian denials is fear of Iran's response to any deal with Israel. Hamas and PIJ have long been receiving financial, political and military aid from Iran so that they could continue the jihad against Israel.
2019-12-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive