Prime Minister of Hamas wants end of siege before truce is achieved

Thursday May 22, 2008 20:09 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya of the ruling Hamas in Gaza, stated on Thursday that the Palestinian people and factions can not grant a truce to the ' Israeli occupation' until this occupation lifts the siege and reopen crossings.

Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas

Haniya was speaking during a special ceremony , marking the Palestinian Nakba in Gaza city.

" the Egyptians presented us their paper for a ceasefire and then returned with the Israeli response, and we are now waiting for the results of underway talks in Cairo between factions and Egyptian mediators".

The Prime Minister, whose public appearance has been made rare due to Israeli military threats against Gaza, reiterated call for the Arab ministerial committee to visit Gaza to sort out Palestinian differences the way it succeeded in Lebanon recently.

Haniya went onto saying " our hands are extended to all our Palestinian brothers for the people's unity and real political partnership".

Gaza Strip has been experiencing a crippling Israeli blockade of border crossings since June of last year, after the Islamist democratically-elected Hamas party, took control over the coastal region, amidst a factional infighting with the secular Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas.

gaza strip | palestinian politics | news report rami at imemc dot org