Mofaz: Targeted killings to continue

Defense Minister says even Hamas designated PM Haniyeh is not immune.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
mofaz .298.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
mofaz .298.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Tuesday that the Hamas's prime minister-designate, Ismail Haniyeh, is not immune from an Israeli targeted killing. Hamas, the group sworn to Israel's destruction, swept January parliamentary elections and is in the process of forming a Cabinet. It has rejected international calls to renounce its violent, anti-Israel ideology, but has maintained a year-old moratorium on suicide bombings.
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On Monday, two Islamic Jihad members and three Palestinian bystanders were killed in a targeted IAF attack in Gaza City. Mofaz told Army Radio that Israel's policy of pinpointed killings has proven to be effective, and will continue. "There is no question about its efficacy," Mofaz said. "Look what happened to Hamas in the years it conducted an untrammeled suicide bombing war against us. When we started the targeted killings, the situation changed," he said. "We will continue the targeted killings at this pace," Mofaz added. "No one will be immune." Asked if Hamas's prime minister-designate, Haniyeh, would be a target if Hamas were to resume its attacks on Israel, Mofaz replied: "If Hamas, a terror organization that doesn't recognize agreements with us and isn't willing to renounce violence, presents us with the challenge of having to confront a terror organization, then no one there will be immune. Not just Ismail Haniyeh. No one will be immune." Salah al-Bardawil, a Hamas spokesman, denounced Mofaz's comments. "This statement and Israeli practices on the ground reflect the bloody, inhumane and inflammatory character of the Zionist enemy," al-Bardawil said. "We are not seeking immunity or mercy from Israel. We are in a confrontation. The side that is most steadfast is the side that will survive."