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Gaza-based Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar, right, Tuesday speaking with an Egyptian journalist in Ismailia, Egypt.
AP
Last update - 19:42 24/02/2009
Hamas says it reserves right to bring arms into Gaza
By Reuters
Tags: Zahar, Hamas, Israel, Gaza

Gaza-based Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar declared Tuesday that his Islamist militant group reserves the right to bring arms into Gaza.

"It's our right to bring in everything - money and arms. We will not give anyone any commitment on this subject," Zahar told Reuters in an interview in the Egyptian town of Ismailia.

O
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ne the goals of Israel's recent offensive against Hamas in Gaza was to stem the flow of weaponry into the coastal strip.


Zahar, who served as Palestinian foreign minister in the government Hamas formed in Gaza after winning elections in 2006, also said Hamas had asked Egypt to let it import 1,000 containers into Gaza for use as temporary housing for Palestinians displaced during the Israel Defense Forces campaign, which ended in mid-January.

A group of Hamas engineers arrived in Cairo on Monday to study the purchase of the 1,000 containers.

Hamas has also asked Egypt to press Israel to let wood, glass, aluminium, steel and electrical supplies into Gaza to rebuild what was destroyed in the offensive, Zahar said.

Israel has restricted supplies of building materials to Gaza, saying some of them might help Hamas rearm and earn the movement credit with Palestinians living in Gaza.

Zahar added that Palestinian officials, backed by the United States, were obstructing the dialogue due to open between Palestinian groups in Cairo on Wednesday.

"There are people who want this dialogue not to take place because they will lose their positions and their privileges," he told Reuters in an interview in the Egyptian town of Ismailia, where he was visiting his wife's Egyptian relatives.

Zahar repeated Hamas complaints that Fatah has detained dozens of Hamas members in the West Bank in the past week. "These matters [the arrests] do not serve dialogue," he said, adding that "there are U.S. [intelligence] agencies working in the West Bank."

The arrests have added to the tension between the two largest Palestinian groups during preparations for the dialogue.

Zahar, who was visiting his wife's Egyptian relatives in Ismailia, also rejected Fatah complaints about arrests by Hamas in Gaza.

"We have published pictures of what they call political detainees in Gaza. These are people who have confessed that they provided the enemy [Israel] with information about where fighters were stationed and the tunnels [to Egypt] and the type of weaponry," he said.

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    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Writing on the wall
    For payment Palestinian artists offer to spray-paint personal texts on the West Bank wall.
    Lieber-fear II
    The real issue is why Israelis voted Lieberman.
      1.   Obama wants to give 900 million to the people who cheered 9/11... 13:42  |  r 24/02/09
      2.   Truce like a splash of cold water in the face 14:12  |  allang 24/02/09
      3.   This man will not die from old age 14:25  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 24/02/09
      4.   Funny 14:32  |  Funny 24/02/09
      5.   Zahar has right to a lawyer. Put him on trial for war crimes 14:41  |  Joe Sittizen 24/02/09
      6.   Jews did the same thing prior to 1948 14:59  |  Natallie Durson 24/02/09
      7.   that guy is so dot-nose 15:02  |  don 24/02/09
      8.   Israel should have finished the job in Gaza 15:06  |  Nechama 24/02/09
      9.   Look at his smirk! He doesn`t share the commiseration of 15:41  |  S 24/02/09
      10.   reserving the right is really a meaningless want 16:43  |  Jo 24/02/09
      11.   Natallie Durson - You are cool with this? 16:44  |  Nephtaly 24/02/09
      12.   Makes the situation look pretty hopeless 16:44  |  Dave Duncan 24/02/09
      13.   What`s so shameful ? 16:49  |  Sam Soul 24/02/09
      14.   Natalie, big surprise 16:51  |  ed 24/02/09
      15.   Shipping containers for housing?? Hardly. Israel must veto it! 17:09  |  Dr. L. Brnd 24/02/09
      16.   # 1 r because Obama is bought and paid for 17:11  |  petra 24/02/09
      17.   Natalie Wrong (as usual) 17:27  |  utagawa 24/02/09
      18.   #1 r ....I sent an email this morning 17:33  |  Lynn 24/02/09
      19.   #2 Allang 17:52  |  Warren J 24/02/09
      20.   And Israel reserves the right to continue targeted assasinatinati 18:20  |  Mark 24/02/09
      21.   #1 R - What did you expect? 18:22  |  Malach HaMavet 24/02/09
      22.   Hear O Israel: Go Back In And Finish The Job! 18:37  |  Lagunageno 24/02/09
      23.   just like the sea? 19:04  |  ben 24/02/09
      24.   to #1 20:15  |  ben 24/02/09
      25.   Hamas has every right to resist the occupation 20:22  |  Labhras 24/02/09
      26.   Wishful Thinking! 20:27  |  Rohan 24/02/09
      27.   Some help for you utagawa 20:59  |  Labhras 24/02/09
      28.   Some help for you utagawa 3rd try 20:59  |  Labhras 24/02/09
      29.   $900,000,000 Gift from Obama 21:00  |  david 24/02/09
      30.   Obama want to help human Beings 21:08  |  gus 24/02/09
      31.   #15. Dr.L Brnd. Very persuasive point. 21:18  |  Stephen. 24/02/09
      32.   Legitimate resistance to violent occupation 22:42  |  Palestinian Brit 24/02/09
      33.   Dr Bernard 15 22:46  |  Anthony 24/02/09
      34.   Labhras --- remember Hebron? 23:21  |  Urani Diot 24/02/09
      35.   you bet they reserve the right to bring arms into Gaza;just as 23:30  |  glenna 24/02/09
      36.   To Anthony #33 23:33  |  Urani Diot 24/02/09
      37.   Note, bringing arms into Gaza without Israel`s aproval amounts to 23:37  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 24/02/09
      38.   Anthony in Calgary 23:43  |  Bill H. 24/02/09
      39.   The Palis are a glutton for punishment 00:06  |  ottomatik 25/02/09
      40.   Natellie Durson - Read This 00:07  |  Angela 25/02/09
      41.   there is no occupation in gaza 00:40  |  real vision 25/02/09
      42.   The difference between a ceasefire and disarming 03:38  |  Johnboy 25/02/09
      43.   De-militarise Gaza 14:19  |  Peter Williams 25/02/09
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