Hamas maintains line that occupation justifies violence - Haaretz

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Mon., September 24, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:03 (EST+7)

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Last update - 02:28 23/09/2007

Hamas maintains line that occupation justifies violence

By Avi Issacharoff

"Palestinians have the right to oppose Israeli occupation by all means available," Hamas said yesterday, following media reports of a thwarted suicide attack set for Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur.

Hamas' spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum, said he did not have any specific information on the attempted attack. "As long as the Zionist aggressor maintains its hostile actions, all organizations have the right to retaliate for those actions in whatever way they have available to them," he said.

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"We must put in place a balance of retaliation for Israel's violent actions. This is not a new policy, but a clear stance that Hamas has opted to take. It concerns the right of every Palestinian to defend his or herself by any possible means," Barhoum concluded.

Palestinian Authority officials said that the Nihad Shkirat (whose arrest last week led security forces to explosives in Tel Aviv) acted as head of Iz al-Din al-Qassam, Hamas' military wing, in Nablus. The officials said the attack was meant to disrupt plans for the November peace summit in Washington, D.C.

The man who told security forces where to find the explosives belt was Hamas operative Mahdi Ashur, who was arrested on Friday, after Shkirat, officials in the defense establishment told Haaretz. The sources added that after his arrest, Ashur was persuaded to lead security forces to the house near Jaffa Street, in the southern part of the city, where the explosives belt had been stashed (see page 1)

Days before the explosives belt was found, the Hamas government in Gaza called for Israel to reach a cease-fire in Gaza. A possible explanation for this can be found in the split within Hamas between the organization's leadership in Gaza and its leaders in exile in Damascus.

Those in the Syrian capital are reportedly opposed to the efforts by Hamas' prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, to reach a cease-fire with Israel. So, Palestinian sources say, the leadership in Damascus is attempting to carry out suicide attacks in Israel.

Palestinian sources say Haniyeh met last week with leaders from various "resistance organizations" in Gaza, and asked them to stop firing Qassam rockets at Israel, but they reportedly refused to cease their attacks.

Sources within the PA say that Hamas' military wing is acting without permission from Haniyeh, and contrary to his position.

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