'Cease-fire is a trick'

Hamas official Khaled Mashal tells Cairo conference that quiet in
territories, 'resistance' will continue
By Roee Nachmias
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3073433,00.html
First Published: 04.16.05, 23:45
Latest Update: 04.17.05, 00:23

The head of Hamas's political bureau, Khaled Mashal , told a Cairo
conference almost three weeks ago that the fight against Israel will
continue "so long as the occupation continues."

Originally reported in the Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram, Mashal's speech was
given at a conference attended by authors and experts on the Palestinians.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which monitors
Arabic-language media, publicized the article this weekend.

Mashal expressed concern about the Palestinian Authority taking over land
evacuated by Israeli settlers. He also told those gathered that an
independent Palestine along side Israel - as a temporary state of affairs -
would not be a problem for Hamas.
Discussing his movement's goals and achievements, Mashal said that Hamas had
managed to avoid fighting with the PA.

He also said that the group conveyed to the world that "the problem was not
the Palestinian people or the Palestinian resistance but the occupation."

The quiet is misleading

Regarding the lull in violence, Mashal said, "Hamas controls its military
wing and it can maintain discipline amongst its people ... The lull for
Hamas is tactic of resistance, while for the PA, it's an alternative to
resistance."

"No occupation in history disappeared without resistance. Without
resistance, negotiation is worthless," he added.

Mashal said that, once an independent state of Palestine emerges, Hamas will
become a political party, but that does not mean that it would accept the
borders with Israel as permanent.

Once the settlers are gone

The Hamas official also worried that, instead of handing it over to the
public, PA bigwigs would take for themselves Gaza land previously held by
Israeli settlers.

"There's a concern that a fight will break out over the spoils," he
explained.

He said that Hamas would neither take part in any post-Israeli power
struggle in Gaza, nor accept a situation where only one Palestinian faction
is in control.