Hamas, Al-Aqsa Brigades Trade Accusations Over Group’s Violation of Calm

Text of report in English by independent, non-governmental Palestinian Ma’an News Agency website

["De Facto Government Accuses Al-Aqsa Brigades of Violating Gaza Truce and Threatens Action" - Ma'an headline]

Gaza, 26 June: The de facto government in Gaza warned all Palestinian groups against violating the ceasefire agreement on Thursday. It described those violating the ceasefire as outside the Palestinian national consensus and “pawnbrokers of the (Israeli) occupation,” and added that it will take the necessary measures against them.

The de facto government affirmed that the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement is in the Palestinian national interest and was reached through national consensus, and that anyone who acts against this consensus will be held responsible before the people and the law. It called on the Egyptian authorities to intervene with those it described as trying to sabotage the truce agreement to further a partisan political agenda.

Tahir al-Nunu, spokesperson of the de facto government in Gaza, warned in a statement that “working for narrow partisan interests, or attempting to link the internal Palestinian disputes with implementation of the truce and lifting the siege on Gaza, serves the interests of the (Israeli) occupation and violates the high (Palestinian) national interest.”

Al-Nunu added that the de facto government is following the latest developments in the field, and that the continued closure of the commercial crossings for the second day by the Israeli authorities is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement. He praised the efforts of the de facto Interior Ministry in holding meetings with the different Palestinian factions and forming a crisis unit to follow implementation of the ceasefire and protect the Palestinian national consensus.

The de facto government urged the Egyptian authorities to press the Israeli government to respect the truce agreement and open all the border crossings.

For its part, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing associated with the Fatah movement, announced that its launch of homemade rockets at Israeli targets on Thursday was a message to Israel that the Palestinian resistance will not stand by while it violates Palestinian rights. The brigades called for revising the truce agreement to include the West Bank to put an end to Israeli attacks there. The Brigades strongly denounced the declaration issued by the de facto Hamas-affiliated Interior Ministry which followed Israeli statements condemning the rocket launch and calling for holding those responsible to account.

The Brigades added that “they do not fear anyone but God, and they will not impose their own project on the Palestinians and their courageous resistance.” They also affirmed that “the language and logic” of the statements issued by Tahir al-Nunu “does not serve anyone but the (Israeli) occupation.”

In its response to the Al-Aqsa Brigades, the Hamas movement said that the brigades’ violations of the truce serve the Israeli occupation by providing a pretext for continuing the siege imposed on the Palestinians, and stressed that such violations further partisan goals at the expense of the Palestinian national interest.

In a statement referring to the Al-Aqsa Brigades, Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said that “parties in Ramallah have a direct relationship in moving and guiding this group, which did not undertake any action when the Gaza Strip was completely burned.” He warned that Hamas holds the parties behind the Al-Aqsa Brigades fully responsible along with Israel for the ongoing siege on Gaza.

Originally published by Ma’an News Agency website, Bethlehem, in English 1842 26 Jun 08.

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