The ‘calm’ agreement which Hamas committed to in February 2005 will be terminated at the end of this year as scheduled, if Israel does not release Palestinian prisoners, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud A-Zahhar told The Media Line on Wednesday.
“The calm agreement terminates at the end of 2005,” said A-Zahhar. “According to the agreement, we said the prisoners must be released before the end of 2005 so that there will be no cause to return to the methods of resistance. The calm agreement was conditioned on the release of the prisoners.
“Israel has an opportunity to release the prisoners after its withdrawal from Gaza – or at least to release some of them – so that the people of the West Bank are not obliged to take measures, including kidnappings,” added the Hamas leader.
A-Zahhar also explained that the Gaza leadership cannot send orders to Hamas members in the West Bank. “I do not have a connection [with the West Bank cells]. It all happens in the West Bank, and there is no connection between Gaza and the West Bank. Most of the West Bank’s [leadership] is currently imprisoned, and therefore all the kidnappings before were done by groups who took on their shoulders the responsibility for the kidnappings, in order to free the prisoners.”
Hamas is expected to participate in the Palestinian parliamentary elections on January 27th, 2006. Israel has so far objected to this. In the past few weeks, Israel has arrested hundreds of Hamas activists, some of whom were political leaders who wanted to participate in the elections.