Hamas conditions probably would make peace impossible

 The following is a signal that Hamas is going to object to any peace agreement on the principle that it violates Palestinian "rights" if it allows Isreal to exist or gives Jews any rights in Jerusalem. They will not allow a referendum and will not accept the results:

 

"The idea of a referendum on any agreement signed with the occupying [Israeli authorities] is rejected by the Hamas movement," Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted by the Qatar-based television network as saying.

 

"No poll on the basic rights [of Palestinian people]. Is it possible for us to carry out a poll on al-Quds [Jerusalem] if such an agreement affects our rights in al-Quds?" he asked.

 

 

Last update - 21:39 20/04/2008       
Report: Hamas rejects Egyptian plan for truce with Israel
By Haaretz Service and Reuters

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu-Zuhri on Sunday rejected an Egyptian plan for a cease-fire agreement with Israel, Al Jazeera reported.

 

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit unveiled an Egyptian plan to restore calm in the region. The plan seeks to establish a ceasefire under which the firing of rockets in Gaza Strip has to stop while Israel also stops targeting Palestinians.

 

Other provisions include exchanging 400 Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails for captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas in 2006.

 

Egypt's plan also includes the opening of Gaza's border crossings and to put a peace agreement, if reached this year, to a Palestinian public vote.

 

"The idea of a referendum on any agreement signed with the occupying [Israeli authorities] is rejected by the Hamas movement," Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted by the Qatar-based television network as saying.

 

"No poll on the basic rights [of Palestinian people]. Is it possible for us to carry out a poll on al-Quds [Jerusalem] if such an agreement affects our rights in al-Quds?" he asked.

 

Abu Zuhri also rejected as "unacceptable" remarks by Aboul Gheit, who reportedly said Hamas' participation in a Palestinian national unity government with rival faction Fatah could thwart efforts to reach a peace settlement with Israel.

 

These comments came as the death toll in Israel Air Force airstrikes in the Gaza Strip climbed to at least six dead Palestinians since Saturday.

 

On Friday, the Egyptian foreign minister said that Egypt was making "good progress" in efforts to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

 

Aboul Gheit said his government was speaking with both sides to get a "period of quiet," which would help Israeli and Palestinian negotiators achieve a deal more easily in U.S.-mediated Palestinian statehood talks that exclude Hamas.

 

"Hamas wants to call it a period of quiet. That suits the Israelis because they do not want to reach a signed, written agreement with Hamas," Gheit said of Egypt's mediation attempts in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on Friday.

 

"We are making good progress [mediating] but the difficulty we face is that often, certain trends inside Israel challenge the idea and certain trends inside Gaza challenge the idea and maybe, maybe there could also be a foreign element," he said with a smile, referring to the United States.

 

Israel and the United States both classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and shun contacts with it, although Washington has quietly given a nod for Egypt to negotiate with the Islamist group to end violence that threatens the statehood talks.

 

The peace talks only involve Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Olmert. Gheit said if they reached a deal, which Washington wants by the end of the Bush administration's term in January 2009, then Hamas would be under pressure to accept it.