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Last update - 02:13 01/01/2009
Haniyeh: Palestinian victory in Gaza is near
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gaza, Israel News, Hamas 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that Israeli attacks on Gaza had to stop before any truce proposals could be considered.

"First, the Zionist aggression must end without any conditions... Second the siege must be lifted and all the crossings must be opened because the siege is the source of all of Gaza's problems," he said in a televised speech to Palestinians.


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"After that it will be possible to talk on all issues without any exception," Haniyeh said, referring to recent truce proposals raised by all parties, including Israel.


Haniyeh was speaking from an undisclosed location in the Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians, which has suffered the deadliest Israeli attacks in the past four decades in which at least 394 Palestinians have been killed.

Haniyeh sounded a defiant tone, saying the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip will win the fight against Israel.

"We tell the Palestinian people in Gaza and everywhere that you will win, inevitably," Haniyeh said. "Victory is near, God willing, and it is closer than people think."

Palestinian militants have launched some 400 rockets into Israel, largely bringing daily life to a standstill for about half a million people in the southern part of the country. Four Israelis have been killed in the rocket fire.

The current violence erupted after a six-month ceasefire brokered by Egypt expired on Dec. 19 and Hamas intensified rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.

In his speech, Haniyeh said: "What is happening in Gaza is not normal aggression. It is a real war, a war without morals, with neither principles nor laws. It is a war of elimination against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."

The head of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, earlier on Wednesday said that Israel is hesitating to launch a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip for fear of failure.

According to Nasrallah, a ground operation in Gaza will prove extremely difficult for Israel, because of the one and a half million residents who are "embracing the resistance."

In a televised speech made before an audience of Hezbollah supporters in Beirut, Nasrallah added that Israel hasn't declared specific goals for Operation Cast Lead because it won't be capable of achieving them. "What is happening in Gaza is a victory, despite all the pure blood being spilled," said Nasrallah.

Nasrallah on Sunday said that he had asked his fighters to be on alert for a possible Israeli attack on Lebanon following the raids on Gaza that have killed nearly 400 Palestinians.

"What is happening today is a Palestinian copy of the July war," Nasrallah declared, drawing a comparison between the Israel Defense Forces offensive in the Gaza Strip and the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which Hezbollah waged against Israel in southern Lebanon.

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      1.   Speaking of Failure 22:50  |  Bretware 31/12/08
      2.   Nasrallah was silent while Lebanon shelled Nahr al-Bared 22:50  |  Rick & TC 31/12/08
      3.   What a shmuck he is! 23:16  |  Baruch 31/12/08
      4.   If this is such a wonderful victory, then why all the calls for a 23:20  |  Jacob Blues 31/12/08
      5.   Nasrallah`s Stupidity: Here Are the Implications 23:22  |  Brad 31/12/08
      6.   Not true at all. There will be no invasion because 23:27  |  De 31/12/08
      7.   There`s fear of all of the jealous Jew hating countries 23:38  |  Gil 31/12/08
      8.   may be he is right ? 23:57  |  chaim 31/12/08
      9.   Not Palestinian, and not a victory 23:58  |  Morris Valentine 31/12/08
      10.   Dream on Israelies 23:58  |  Ahmad 31/12/08
      11.   As Gaza falls around his ears.... 00:03  |  Nemesis 01/01/09
      12.   Victory is Near 00:06  |  Snowed In 01/01/09
      13.   #3 Every Second is a Victory As Long as Palestinians Fight Back.. 00:10  |  Monitor 01/01/09
      14.   Hoorah! 00:11  |  The Judge 01/01/09
      15.   Living in a dream 6th century world .. 00:12  |  redbourn 01/01/09
      16.   Ground operation - What do you think would happen? 00:14  |  Mike 01/01/09
      17.   Contorted thinking - contorted terminology 00:20  |  17 01/01/09
      18.   Do Not Resist!! 00:23  |  Guy 01/01/09
      19.   The Arab Islamist leadership is from another planet 00:27  |  Embarrasing morons 01/01/09
      20.   Hamas 00:30  |  Samk 01/01/09
      21.   Big mouth Nasrallah 00:37  |  Avrum 01/01/09
      22.   Rethinking Israeli Policy 00:52  |  David Cohen 01/01/09
      23.   The key to peace is lifting the Starvation Blockade 00:57  |  Clickfool 01/01/09
      24.   Delusions 01:05  |  JJ 01/01/09
      25.   Hamas lying to their own people 01:08  |  D 01/01/09
      26.   An Israelie illusion 01:14  |  OM 01/01/09
      27.   Arafat Likewise Claimed A Great Victory Over Israel As He ... 01:19  |  Lavi 01/01/09
      28.   David Cohen..Houston 01:28  |  Malone 01/01/09
      29.   Can they fool Lebanese and Palistinians forever? 01:30  |  Richard S 01/01/09
      30.   Haniyeh`s & Nasrallah`s definition of "Victory" 01:35  |  Michael J 01/01/09
      31.   David- rethinking Israeli policy ???? 01:35  |  Avrum 01/01/09
      32.   gaza 01:36  |  azad 01/01/09
      33.   Haniyeh Embraces The Past 01:50  |  Brad 01/01/09
      34.   jacob understand victory 02:04  |  Truth 01/01/09
      35.   What siege? 02:46  |  Arie 01/01/09
      36.   somehere underground 02:46  |  ron 01/01/09
      37.   Rethinking David`s policy 02:55  |  Vayne 01/01/09
      38.   what is it with these arabs, always willing to agree on yesterday 02:57  |  Tom Lobo Meyer 01/01/09
      39.   Israel handling things better this time 03:39  |  Reid 01/01/09
      40.   War is Deception 04:25  |  Wisdom 01/01/09
      41.   Hamas have 1 card left to play it goes by the name of Livni 04:28  |  zionist forever 01/01/09
      42.   Haniyeh 04:30  |  utagawa 01/01/09
      43.   To Clickfool 05:36  |  Petero 01/01/09
      44.   Petero... 06:32  |  Ibrahim 01/01/09
      45.   Hezbollah 07:08  |  Mike B 01/01/09
      46.   Baruch: Nasrallah Kicked Ass Twice 08:44  |  Hizbullah 01/01/09
      47.   Clickfool (#23) What Are You Talking About? 09:29  |  Gil 01/01/09
      48.   Clickfool (#23) What Are You Talking About? 09:30  |  Gil 01/01/09
      49.   #46, Hizbullah 09:34  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/01/09
      50.   Haniyeh, Nasrallah chest thumpings 09:50  |  Frederick 01/01/09
      51.   #47 OVER Clickfool (#23) What Are You Talking About? 10:46  |  BOB KING 01/01/09
      52.   This WAR code name is " Feb.ELECTION" 15:02  |  A disgussed observer 01/01/09
      53.   #16 Mike 15:19  |  Joe W 01/01/09
      54.   Ibrahim 15:31  |  Rachel 01/01/09
      55.   Sounds like the hysterically funny Iraqi defense minister 15:49  |  Lee 01/01/09
      56.   Pals will win 15:53  |  Keith T. 01/01/09
      57.   #44 Ibrahim 16:12  |  Gary 01/01/09
      58.   #16 Mike 16:31  |  Gary 01/01/09
      59.   55 Lee - How Does Baghdad Bob Make the Commute 16:32  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/01/09
      60.   If leaks from the IDF and the babbling of Olmert 16:32  |  Mark Lincoln 01/01/09
      61.   George Washington`s grand strategy 17:10  |  Mark Lincoln 01/01/09
      62.   The Best Solution.... 18:11  |  Ephraim ben David... 01/01/09
      63.   #60/61 Very Clear Vision..sad but true. 18:14  |  Ephraiim ben David 01/01/09
      64.   Clickfool....Half your name is correct! 18:22  |  Ephraiim ben David 01/01/09
      65.   CJK threatens destruction of Lebanon on 1st Jan#49 19:19  |  Roo 01/01/09
      66.   Mark Lincoln and his ignorance 19:19  |  Samuel Smith 01/01/09
      67.   to Ibrahim fair enough 19:27  |  CM 01/01/09
      68.   Ibrahim 19:29  |  Jasper 01/01/09
      69.   Hamas Has the Will 20:20  |  Hizbullah 01/01/09
      70.   Yes, Palestinian victory and Hamas defeat. 21:46  |  smart Paletinian 01/01/09
      71.   Israel`s foundations 02:10  |  Simon Willis 02/01/09
      72.   If That is Victory... 02:14  |  JV 02/01/09
      73.   For the sake of peace listen to my advice and save your lives. 04:13  |  Samir 02/01/09
      74.   44 04:14  |  zionist forever 02/01/09
      75.   Haniyeh 04:18  |  Joe 02/01/09
      76.   For "Hizbullah" in "Pal" # 69 04:22  |  Fortuna Benmayor 02/01/09
      77.   For Ephraim ben David # 62 in New York 04:51  |  Fortuna Benmayor 02/01/09
      78.   To Petero 04:59  |  Bob 02/01/09
      79.   Haniyeh 05:34  |  Jasper 02/01/09
      80.   dream on 05:38  |  Ray 02/01/09
      81.   SAMIR.There is nothing honorable about opting for war & terror 06:13  |  PETER SM 02/01/09
      82.   Doesn`t he care at all for his own people? 06:21  |  Shalom Freedman 02/01/09
      83.   #9, MV,"Hamas is fighting only for its own survival" 07:15  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/01/09
      84.   haniheh 10:04  |  louis 02/01/09
      85.   Shalom Freedman, Haniyeh is right to stand with his people 11:24  |  Dutch 02/01/09
      86.   Victory Is Near 11:26  |  Raymondo 02/01/09
      87.   To CJK (#83): From your lips to G-d`s ears 03:00  |  Morris Valentine 03/01/09
      88.   Jasper #79 Haniyeh future Nobel Prize Winner for Peace? 11:01  |  FOX 03/01/09
      89.   Dutch Dearest #85 11:03  |  FOX 03/01/09
     Read & React
    Bush: Hamas attacks on Israel are an 'act of terror'
    Responses: 21
    Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff: Now IDF is getting personal with Hamas
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    Yossi Sarid: If you (or I) were Palestinian
    Responses: 82
    Anshel Pfeffer: Right and Left, Diaspora Jews more critical of Israel than ever
    Responses: 60
    Bradley Burston: To win in Gaza, Israel only has to survive
    Responses: 38


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