Hamas breaks off ceasefire talks

Reuters | 6/06/03

[kattracks]

GAZA (Reuters) - The militant Islamic group Hamas says it is breaking off talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on ending its attacks on Israelis.

"The dialogue has ended," Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, a Hamas leader told Reuters.

He said Abbas made unacceptable commitments at a U.S.-led summit with Israel in Aqaba, Jordan, on Wednesday.

Abbas called at the landmark gathering, which he attended with U.S. President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, for an end to the Palestinian armed struggle for statehood.

Hamas has spearheaded attacks on Israelis, including dozens of suicide attacks, during a 32-month-old Palestinian uprising for independence.

Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, held several rounds of truce talks with Hamas before this week's summit and expressed confidence he could achieve a ceasefire soon in further meetings with the group, which rejects peacemaking with Israel.

"Abu Mazen has stopped the dialogue when he committed himself to some issues not accepted by Hamas and will never be accepted by the Palestinian people," Rantissi said.

Rantissi made the comments a day after Israel killed two Hamas gunmen in a raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarm.

[American in Israel]

Not even European politicians can publicly side with people who explicitly say they're going to either kill the Jews or push them into the sea.

Why not, they have for sixty years...

[American in Israel]

Hamas is in the tough spot now... That would be a disaster for them and their "image" as freedom fighters. Now they are the ones who are clearly standing against peace.

Gee, I would have thought the 300 or so people they have blown up in school buses and shopping malls were a clear indication that they are standing against peace. Some how a guy that kills children never was much of a "freedom fighter" in my eyes.

[Mr.Clark]

It's sad that most of an entire continent (Europe) can't see the forrest for the trees.

[American in Israel]

Oh they can see ok, Israel is the biggest competition they have in the entire area. Tiny Israel produces more patents than all of the EU combined. For every Euro they send to Arafat, the savings to the EU is priceless. Killing Jews is the European answer to political problems just like the Arabs. No wonder they get along so well.

[American in Israel]

THE ROAD MAP

[Imal]

And so Hamas acts right on cue, precisely as predicted.

Thus these murderous thugs torpedo the final possibility for a "Palestinian stae", which never had a foundation in law or logic anyway.

Make no mistake, this is and was the last chance for the Palis to get their vaunted statehood. When they screw this pooch this time, there won't be a next time, because even their brother Arabs will have to admit they blew it.

The fools have obviously never heard about "strategery", but they are about to get a lesson in it. When they are driven out of the new borders of Israel, and find the U.S. Army closing in on them in Lebanon, Syria turning its back on them, and no way to return to Jordan, perhaps they will ponder how they misunderestimated the sitting American president.

How ironic that Hamas should prove to be the ones opening the door for legitimate Jewish claims to Judea and Samaria.

One might almost call it a divine comedy.

[MEGoody]

Of course Hamas broke off the talks. They have no intention of allowing a peace. They would only be happy if Israel no longer existed and every Jew currently living there was dead.

[Paulus Invictus]

This was so predictable and inevitable. The Pali murderers will never stop until the last Jew is dead and Israel no longer exists. Arafat still holds the military reins on Hamas and other terrorist groups and will not stop them.

[Jorge]

I believe this is some more strategery, similar to what was used when Bush was trying to put together a coalition for the Iraqi War. He accommodates and tries, but only to a point. Then he simply says, "all bets are off," and makes other plans.

Agreed. The strategery is to demonstrate the futility of trying to accomodate or negotiate anything with these kinds of people.

[BabsC]

SAHM - Hardest most rewarding job on earth. I chickened out myself.

Great no bag limit!

[BabsC]

BINGO!!!

[whadizit]

"Why would anyone attempt to negotiate with terrorists..."

My feelings exactly! If we would live up to what GW said about harboring terrorists, this crapola would have been over a long time ago. There can be no peace without military victory. Terrorists must be wiped out and then, and only then, peace can be established.