Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad movement stated on Friday that Israel is to be blamed for the recent deterioration and that the Palestinians did not violate the truce, but retaliated to the Israeli attacks and assassinations.In an interview with the Al Hayat newspaper, Shallah stated that retaliating to the Israeli attacks is not a violation of the ceasefire and that it is unfair and unjust to describe these retaliations as violations since the Palestinians cannot accept to remain idle while Israel continues its attacks.
He added that resistance will retaliate to these attacks, and that the Palestinians were always committed to the truce but Israel insists that there will not be any real truce or cessation of fire.
“We informed our brothers in Egypt of our position, the truce must be implemented by both sides, and not only by us”, he stated, “We cannot talk about a truce in Gaza while the West Bank is under fire”.
Shallah also said that the Islamic Jihad will not be part of any internal clashes, and said that the Gaza Strip is now filled with guns and gunmen which could lead the area into further tension. He called on all factions and figures to deal with this issue without any delays.
He told the newspaper that chaos is one of the biggest issues that the Palestinians are facing and that the Palestinian Authority should act in order to stop the chaos and insecurity. Shallah also stated that all factions and institutions must help the Authority in enforcing law and order.
