Mashaal: We'll continue 'to kill illegal settlers'

Hamas leader says Palestinians will return to "resistance" if int'l community doesn't force Israel back to 1967 borders.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
mashaal 311 (photo credit: AP)
mashaal 311
(photo credit: AP)
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."
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Mashaal 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.