Haniyeh: IDF Gaza incursion won't be a picnic

Haniyeh optimistic over chance of ending blockade: "The siege will end and victory is imminent."

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Haniyeh 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Haniyeh 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh warned Israel on Saturday against launching a military operation in the Gaza Strip, saying such an attack would not be a "picnic" for Israel. Speaking in Gaza City on the first anniversary of Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip, a defiant Haniyeh boasted that his government had managed to survive despite international sanctions and pressure. "An Israeli [military] operation won't be a simple thing," he said. "It won't be a picnic for the Israelis." Haniyeh said he was optimistic about the prospects of ending the blockade on the Gaza Strip in the near future. "We have no choice but to be optimistic," he said. "The siege will end and victory is imminent." Haniyeh added that the US policies in the region had failed and would never succeed. "The US scheme in the region has witnessed retreat," he said. "The US administration hasn't achieved any of its strategic goals here. There are enough indications that the siege on the Gaza Strip is beginning to crumble." Haniyeh pointed out that his government was still in power despite the sanctions and attempts to isolate the Gaza Strip from the rest of the world. "No one can break the will of Hamas," he declared. "The siege has failed in extracting concessions from the government."