19 August 2002

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

The “Gaza First” agreement

Threatens national unity and aborts gains of Aqsa intifada

The occupation forces are still continuing their onslaught against Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps wreaking havoc in violation of all human values. They pursue criminal and terrorist practices represented in assassinations, arrests, deportation and demolition of houses along with other inhuman acts. Despite this fact the Palestinian Authority’s interior minister Abdul Razak Al-Yehya holds a meeting with a Zionist delegation led by the terrorist Benjamin Ben Eliazer. The meeting was announced after the implementation of the security plan “Gaza First”started. Zionist occupation has set that plan as a test for the PA that it should successfully pass before shouldering any new security mission. This means that the PA would enter a joint security mission with occupation forces in which the Authority would turn into a tool to guard occupation and to provide protection for it, which occupation itself had failed to carry out.

The PA’s approval of this humiliating agreement meant its acceptance to confront the resistance option, which our people have chosen. It would thus convert the Palestinian-Zionist conflict into a Palestinian-Palestinian one. It would also threaten destruction of all gains and accomplishments achieved over two years of the Aqsa intifada and add an irresponsible burden on national unity in addition to posing as an unjustified behavior to foil that unity.

This PA step reminds our people with its infamous act in 1993 when it signed the Oslo agreement (Gaza-Jericho First) that aborted our people’s intifada then. This proves that the PA leadership did not change and that it was absolutely remote from our people’s interests, rights and aspirations. It also meant that the PA leadership was solely concerned with preserving its interests, role and privileges even at the expense of our cause and our people.

The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, strongly denounces this agreement and asks our Palestinian forces and masses along with our Arab and Islamic peoples to declare their rejection of that agreement. We affirm that our Palestinian people who have overridden all security measures and barricades would not be deterred by those new security agreements and would continue their blessed intifada and brave resistance. Our Palestinian masses will crush those agreements believing that there is no other way than resistance until ejection of occupation and liberation of lands and holy shrines Insha’allah.

“… They plot, but Allah (also) plotteth; and Allah is the best of plotters”

 And it is a Jihad until either victory or martyrdom

The Islamic Resistance Movement
Hamas – Palestine
Monday 10^th Jumada Thani 1423H
19^th August 2002AD