Friday, June 6, 2003
This sounds familiar.
CNN.com - Hamas ends cease-fire talks - Jun. 6, 2003
"We are cutting off all dialogue with the Palestinian Authority," said Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, accusing it of trying to dictate the terms of Wednesday's peace summit in Aqaba, Jordan, to the group.
Hamas, whose military wing has been responsible for many of the recent terror attacks against Israeli civilians as well as the Israeli military, has been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organization.
But the Palestinian Authority said it had received no formal notification from Hamas that it is stopping talks and will not accept such a stance. The authority said it will continue to carry through with its pledge to clamp down on violence, no matter what its justification may be.
Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin also said the group is cutting off dialogue with the Palestinian Authority. In recent talks, Abbas has urged Hamas accept a cease-fire and an end to attacks against Israelis.
At the historic meeting in Jordan, Abbas, U.S. President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed support for the Middle East road map, which sets out procedures that would lead to two states -- Israel and Palestine -- existing together in peace.
Yassin said the dialogue has been halted because of the "bad position" that ignored the status of Jerusalem and the issue of the right of Palestinian refugees to return to the region.
Using Abbas' popular name, Yassin said that "Abu Mazen gave the Jews what they did not deserve."
"I believe that Abu Mazen himself closed the door in front of Hamas because he committed himself in front of Bush and Sharon" to positions opposed by the Palestinians, said Rantissi.
A two-page Hamas leaflet passed out in Gaza Friday urged Palestinians not to accept the dictates of this week's summits in Egypt and Jordan, especially Abbas' calls for an end to the armed intifada, the uprising that began in September 2000.
The strongly worded leaflet said the United States was trying to impose its position on the Palestinians and it called on Palestinians and the Arab world to oppose such dictates.[...]