Recognize Israel? Never, Hamas pledges to Iranians

Palestinian leader vows to resist U.S. pressure

December 10, 2006

BY ALI AKBAR DAREINI

TEHRAN, Iran -- The Palestinian prime minister vowed that his Hamas-led government will never recognize Israel and will fight for Jerusalem, telling a crowd at an Iranian mosque Friday that he will resist U.S. pressure to moderate.

Ismail Haniyeh's sermon came on the first day of his visit to an increasingly influential ally of the Hamas movement. Iran has given $120 million to the Hamas-led government, which is starved for funds because of a financial blockade by the West.

Hamas officials in Gaza said they expected Iran to pledge more money to Haniyeh, around $30 million a month. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Haniyeh's visit came at a crucial time in efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which hinges on whether Hamas and its moderate Fatah rival can form a national unity government.

The Fatah party hopes Hamas would be sidelined enough in a new government to allow a resumption of talks.

'The world arrogance'The United States and other Western countries are pressing Hamas, which took over the Palestinian government after winning January elections, to recognize Israel and renounce violence.

Haniyeh said he would do no such thing, adopting his hosts' label of ''the world arrogance'' to refer to the United States in his sermon Friday at Tehran University.

''The world arrogance and Zionists . . . want us to recognize the usurpation of the Palestinian lands and stop jihad and resistance and accept the agreements reached with the Zionist enemies in the past,'' Haniyeh said.

''We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem.''

An official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, David Baker, said Haniyeh's comments were ''precisely this type of extremist rhetoric that fuels terror and has prevented any chance of progress between Israel and the Palestinians.''

Ahmed Abdel Rahman, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, said that if Hamas wants to be part of a unity government, it will need to abide by agreements the PLO has signed. This would imply recognition of Israel.

''I can't criticize him [Haniyeh] when he is talking in the name of Hamas. But if he is speaking as prime minister, he should abide by the national agenda,'' Abdel Rahman said.

In the Gaza Strip, about 6,000 Palestinians turned out for rallies in support of Haniyeh.

Hamas has displayed some flexibility in efforts to push the peace process forward. Haniyeh said he was willing to step down as prime minister in any new government, while Hamas has called a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

But talks on forming a new government have stalled, with Hamas refusing to give up the Interior Ministry, which runs the security forces.