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Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1115519113272
Israel to Leave Gaza Even If Hamas Wins PA Vote
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - The disengagement plan will be implemented regardless of Hamas's showing in the upcoming Palestinian Legislative Council elections, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday, noting that the actual evacuation of settlers would take place around August 15. This is three weeks later than initially planned, to avoid the three-week religious mourning period prior to Tisha B'av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom called on the Palestinian Authority to prevent Hamas from running for election unless it cancels its military wing. "There is no place, nor can there ever be, in a democratic society for a political party which bears arms," Shalom said. On Sunday Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres said of Hamas, "Not only are they against peace, but they also have rifles....You can't negotiate with a group that is still armed."