Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad Movement, slammed the
Thursday meeting that took place between Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas,
and Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, in Amman – Jordan, saying that this points
towards “the political bankruptcy of Abbas”.The meeting took place away from the media, and was not officially sanctioned by the
Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu. King Abdullah of Jordan attended the
meeting.
to the talks where aimed to address various issues amongst them to resume direct peace
talks between Israel and Palestine, the Palestinian UN application for nonmember state.
Israel and the United States are threatening further financial and political sanctions
against the P.A claiming that heading to the United Nations, instead of resuming direct
talks, is “counterproductive”.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said that negotiations with Israel in any form do not serve
the interests of the Palestinian people, adding that Israel uses such meetings and talks as
a “cover-up” to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and
the West Bank.
Arabs48 news website reported that Hamas political leader, Yahia Mousa, stated
that “Abbas never stopped negotiating with the occupation, openly or behind closed
doors.”
Mousa added that Abbas “is not fit to lead the Palestinian people to safety”, and called on
him to openly declare “the failure of the Oslo peace accords with Israel”.
On Monday, Abbas held a meeting in his Ramallah headquarters with Israeli delegates,
including six members of Knesset, including a member of the Labor party of Ehud
Barak, and several cultural and political figures.
Islamic Jihad leader, Khader Habeeb, also deemed the meetings “a bet on the known”
and a “waste of time”.
Habeeb added that Abbas’s insistence to continue talks with Israel only grants the
occupation the opportunity “to continue the Judaization of Jerusalem”, and to build and
expand more illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied Jerusalem.
He further stated that Israel will never stop its settlement activities in the West Bank and
in Jerusalem, and that “only armed resistance against the occupation and its settlers can
liberate the country”.
Habeeb called on Abbas to pay more attention to the internal situation in the Palestinian
territories, instead of “chasing after futile talks”.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said that it cannot resume direct peace talks
with Israel while it continues its invasions, violations, home demolitions, and settlement
construction and expansion activities.
Despite this official declaration, the P.A. held numerous meetings with Israeli officials,
sometimes sponsored by Jordan or Egypt, and said that such talks are not a resumption of direct peace talks, but are “exploratory”.
The official stance of the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu, and his settler-
dominated coalition partners, said that “Israel has the right to build settlements”,
referring to by Israel as “housing projects, and Israeli communities”.
Israel’s settlements in the occupied territories, including in and around occupied East
Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law. Settlements also violate the Fourth
Geneva Convention to which Israel is s signatory.
