Hamas leader in Damascus Khaled Mashaal said that if the international community does not force Israel to to retreat to the 1967 borders, the Palestinian people's only recourse will be "resistance." Mashaal's comments came in an interview aired on CNN on Monday.
When asked about
last months terror attack near Kiryat Arba, in which
four Israelis were killed by Hamas gunmen, Mashaal said that Hamas will
continue to "kill illegal settlers on our land." He stated that Israeli
settlers were the source of the problem and he failed to understand why
the international community gets upset when "we defend our people by
confronting Israeli killings."
RELATED:Abbas: Israel’s choice is peace or settlementsHamas: We agreed in the past to state within '67 bordersMashaal compared the Palestinian people's struggles to the American fight
against British occupation and the French standing up against Hitler's
aggression.
The Hamas leader stated that "five years from now there will be a new
conviction around the world" about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He
said that the US and the West will realize that "Israel is only a moral
burden on their shoulders."
Mashaal's comments came as Israel was criticized internationally on Monday for failing to extend the 10-month moratorium on West Bank settlement construction.
The Palestinians have contended that they would exit peace talks launched earlier this month if Israel failed to extend the moratorium.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday said that he would make a decision on whether or not to leave the talks only
after meeting with the Arab League next week.
