Hamas suspends talks on Shalit

Saturday July 05, 2008 06:42 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, stated that it suspended its indirect talks with Israel on the release of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian fighters two years ago. Hamas said that this decision was made as Israel continues to violate the truce deal which was achieved through Egyptian mediation.

Emblem of Hamas

Usama Al Mazeeny, one of the political leaders of Hamas, said that Israel violated sections of the truce deal by not opening the crossings, and barring the entry of goods and supplies to the Gaza Strip.

“If the enemy is not committed to the truce deal, negotiations will just be a burden”, he stated, “These violations mean that the enemy will not be committed to any new deal”.

The Hamas leader also said that the goods which made it into the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the truce on June 19 are less than the minimum requirements”.

Delegates of Hamas were slated to arrive in Egypt in order to discuss the truce and the issue of Shalit, but the movement said that Israel violated the truce, therefore, and the delegates cancelled their trip.

“The enemy is not committed to the truce deal”. Al Mazeeny stated, “How can we trust it’s committed to any deal which we might achieve”.

Hamas said that Israel must implement all the sections of the truce deal if it wants to hold talks on Shalit. Al Mazeeny stated that Hamas insists that Israel should in the first stage release 450 Palestinian detainees, who are sentenced to high terms if it wants Shalit to be freed.

He added that the released detainees should be members of different factions and should be from the occupied territories, Jerusalem and Arab residents of Israel.

Earlier, Hamas demanded Egypt to intervene in order to save the truce deal especially after Israel repeatedly closed the border terminals between leading to Gaza.

gaza strip | truce | news report saed at imemc dot org