| [ 31/12/2010 - 11:19 AM ] |
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DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Saleh Al-A'arouri, member of Hamas political bureau, said Thursday that the circle of hunger-strikers among Palestinian political detainees in the West Bank jails might be expanded further to include other prisoners. A'arouri also confirmed that Hamas was serious about not holding any reconciliation meeting with Fatah unless the later releases all political detainees who are on hunger strike for more than one month now in the PA jails. "Hamas wants to achieve national reconciliation because it was the party that initiated it; however, let no one expect us to ignore the agonies of our brothers and sons incarcerated in Fatah jails, and to sit in futile marathon meetings with Fatah while this issue isn't resolved yet," said A'arouri in an interview with the PIC on Thursday. "I think that Hamas won't resume talks on this track without real changes on the ground being made regarding the file of the political detainees in the PA jails", he added. When asked on whether the hunger strikers halted their strike, A'arouri, who handles the prisoners file in Hamas Movement, replied, "They are still on hunger strike, and they have clear and fair demands … they want the orders of the Palestinian Supreme Court on their case be carried out". In this regard, A'arouri didn’t rule out the possibility of expanding the circle of the hunger strike to include hundreds of political detainees in the PA jails in the occupied West Bank. He also commented on the possibility of including names of Hamas political detainees in Fatah jails with those already on the prisoner-exchange list and incarcerated in Israeli occupation jails, A'arouri explained that the PA security forces in the PA left no options for Hamas and closed all doors for national reconciliation, saying that Hamas was mulling that option. "I want to send clear message to leaders of Fatah that if you push us to take up such an option, then you would put yourselves and the Fatah Movement in an unpleasant situation," the Hamas official pointed out. Moreover, A'arouri vehemently denied allegations of Fatah that Hamas detains political prisoners affiliated to Fatah faction in the Gaza Strip, stressing that Hamas and the PA government in the Strip welcomes any committee comprising Palestinian factions and human right institution to check the jails there and to find out whether those allegations are true. In this regard, A'arouri underscored that Hamas is the West Bank is still strong and even stronger than before contrary to what detractors of Hamas would like to believe. "The depth and strength of Hamas Movement is in the West Bank, and the popularity of the Movement there is broader than before that no one could uproot, and I would like to say that if transparent and independent PA elections is held now, Hamas would reap more than what it had reaped in the 2006 legislative elections… Hamas is great in the West Bank," the Hamas official underlined. As far as the future of the Palestinian resistance is concerned, A'arouri stressed, "the Palestinian people have no option but to resist the occupation of their country, and I firmly believe that a new and stronger Palestinian Intifada in the West Bank is only a matter of time". |
A'arouri: circle of hunger-strikers in W. Bank jails might be expanded