Hamas has said it considers the invitation extended to Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmud Abbas to visit Washington as ‘political bribery in return for political and security concessions at the expense of Palestinian interests’.
Hamas stressed on Tuesday that ‘what our people need is freedom and a state.’
The movement saw that Abbas’ underlining of his trust in achieving a comprehensive peace this year as ‘an expression of drowning in peace illusions, which the Palestinian people have long experienced without gaining anything other than more aggression and denial of Palestinian rights.’
It also warned against continuing the secret meetings between the heads of the PNA side headed by Abbas and the Zionist side ‘that are intended to finish off the Palestinian cause in return for false promises that have no content whatsoever.’
Hamas spokesman Dr Sami Abu-Zuhri said in a press conference held in Gaza that ‘the objective of Rice’s visit to the region has security and political dimensions.’
This was in response to the press conference held by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and PNA President Abbas in Amman on Monday afternoon and the political statements made.
Abu-Zuhri said: ‘On the security dimension, the visit is intended to coordinate the Israeli efforts with the PNA security apparatuses in Ramallah to continue targeting the resistance forces in the West Bank.
‘In addition, the visit provides a cover for another round of Israeli war on Gaza.’
He added: ‘As for the political dimension, Rice intends to make a political achievement even an illusory one before Bush’s upcoming visit to the region.
‘The movement considers that the statements made by Rice and Abbas indicate that there is nothing new in the political settlement process and that it is suffering from stagnation, which underlines the credibility of Hamas’ position that the political settlement process is destined to fail.’
The Hamas spokesman said that Rice’s talk about the ‘Israeli easing of restrictions’ for Palestinians is ‘nothing more than media marketing.’
He said that the checkpoints they talk about dismantling ‘are not military checkpoints, but are rather earth mounds surrounding a number of villages and cities.
‘We also view the talk about easing restrictions as political bribery in return for political and security concessions that will come at the expense of the Palestinian interests.’
Abu-Zuhri explained that the return of PNA President Mahmud Abbas to talk about ‘preconditions’ before entering a dialogue with Hamas is ‘a burial of the Sanaa Declaration for which he bears responsibility’.
The movement considers these statements as a response to and in line with the US-Israeli rejection of dialogue with Hamas.
Abu-Zuhri concluded: ‘Hamas expresses its sadness for Abu-Mazen’s (Abbas) announcement about his rejection to meet with the leaders of the Palestinian people while he is proud of his upcoming meeting with the criminal Olmert, who is responsible for the Gaza holocaust and other ongoing Israeli crimes.’
In a separate statement, Hamas affirmed that it keeps its options open with respect to the file of the Israeli Captive Soldier Gilad Shalit, who is being held by the resistance, stressing that Hamas is not eager to hold direct meetings with the Israeli occupation and that it will not be dragged into responding to such a request, regardless of the topic of discussion.
Israeli Trade Minister Eli Yishai had said he is willing to negotiate directly with the Hamas Movement, whether the meeting takes place in Europe or Egypt to seek the release of Shalit who was taken prisoner by the Izz-al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Nasir Salah al-Din Brigades and the Jaysh al-Islam.
Deputy Mushir al-Masri, secretary of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform Bloc, said that channels of negotiations concerning captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have been open since July 2006, noting that the statement of the Israeli minister, who is from the hard-line Shas Party is a clear proof of the failure of the methods many have used in this file.
He added: ‘The Shalit file has forced the Israeli occupation to deal with the Palestinian resistance on the basis of reciprocity.’
He affirmed that these Israeli stands confirm the failure of the pressure that is being exerted on the Hamas Movement and shows that the occupation has exhausted all it has in its quiver in its attempts to release Shalit by paying the lowest price.
Al-Masri said that the resistance managed to impose stands on the occupation and make it change its position by having it submit to its conditions that are the shortest road for releasing Shalit.
Al-Masri said that these conditions comprise the need to release those who are serving long term sentences and the sick, women, and children from all the factions.
Al-Masri said: ‘We are not in a hurry for Shalit is here.
‘The enemy statements affirm that Shalit can be released only in accordance with the course that was mapped by Hamas.’
He added: ‘If the occupation does not respond to the conditions of the resistance, then it will have to bear the consequences if other courses are taken.
‘All options are open to us, including the option of closing the file of Shalit for good.’
Al-Masri added that the prisoners’ exchange deal will not take place unless those serving long-term sentences are released.
The factions that are holding Shalit, including the Hamas Movement ‘will not be dragged into stupid actions and vituperations’ as the authority in Ramallah had done when it obtained the release of those serving light sentences or those who were on the verge of being released after serving their sentences.
Al-Masri said: ‘We repeat the same old message today.
‘The occupation should not dream of obtaining a gratuitous release or one at a cheap price of its soldier Shalit.’
He added that his movement welcomes any international mediation on the basis of fulfilment of the conditions Hamas and the other factions that are holding Shalit had set.
These factions are the Al-Nasir Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, and Jaysh al-Islam.