GAZA CITY, Oct 6: Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya was adamant on Friday that Hamas would not recognise Israel and outright rejected huge international pressure to soften the stance of his ruling Islamist movement.
“We will not recognise Israel, we will not recognise Israel, we will not recognise Israel,” Haniya thundered in a speech before tens of thousands of Hamas supporters rallying in support of his embattled Palestinian government.
The prime minister instead repeated that his movement would be willing to enter into a truce with the Jewish state in exchange for a Palestinian state created on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
“We are for the creation of a Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital in exchange for a truce but not recognition of Israel, which would amount to renouncing the land of our ancestors,” he added.
Israel has always rejected any question of a truce and demands that any Palestinian government accept conditions laid down by the international community as a means to resuming dialogue and ending a damaging boycott.
Insisting that Hamas recognise Israel, renounce violence and abide by past peace agreements, the West suspended direct aid after the Islamists took office last March, saddling the Palestinians with an unprecedented fiscal crisis.
But Haniya rejected “diktats” imposed by the four sponsors of the Middle East peace process, the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States, known as the quartet.
“We reject foreign interference in the affairs of the Palestinian people and the diktats of the quartet,” Haniya said.
“We insist on non-recognition of the legitimacy of occupation and we will never renounce an inch of our land, refugees’ return and the creation of a Palestinian state enjoying full sovereignty with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The premier heavily critcised the US administration, blaming Washington for the boycott of his government and denouncing “conspiracies” seeking to bring down his cabinet.
“Foreign and local parties are allied to impose an immoral siege on us and prevent our government from properly carrying out its schemes,” he said.
“This siege is orchestrated by the American administration that wants to bring the Palestinian people and its government to their knees,” he added.
Although the West considers Hamas a terrorist organisation, Haniya insisted his government had the legitimacy of being elected and could not be overthrown.
“I say to certain brothers and certain parties who are working day and night to bring down the government: do not tire yourself,” he shouted.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians packed the city’s main sports stadium to hear Haniya speak, carrying enormous fluttering banners in the Islamist movement’s trademark green and wearing baseball caps in the same colour.
The demonstration comes at a time of stalemate in talks with Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party on forming a national unity government, billed as a means to exit the ever deepening crisis.
Deprived of international aid and customs duties owed by Israel since taking office last March, the Hamas-led government is practically bankrupt and civil servants have not received their full salaries for six months.
Tensions between supporters of Fatah and Hamas have spilled over into deadly clashes in recent days, leaving 12 people dead and over 100 wounded.
