Ismail Haneya, Prime Minister of the deposed Palestinian government based in the Gaza Strip, said on Wednesday that a truce with Israel should include both Gaza Strip and West Bank.
"The Palestinians seek a comprehensive, mutual and parallel cease-fire that could lead to an end of the imposed siege and opening the closed crossings," Haneya said, adding that "The decision to agree on a cease-fire is in the hands of Israel."
Egypt has been mediating recently between Israel and the Palestinians in order to forge a cease-fire that ends rocket attacks from Gaza Strip at Israel and halts Israeli ground and air attacks on militants groups in the enclave.
But Haneya denied that Hamas is seeking a cease-fire deal with Israel, adding that "such reports aim at disfiguring the Hamas image after its great sacrifices following Israel's military operation in Gaza, where 130 people killed."
He accused Israel "of doing all its best in order to undermine the legal Palestinian resistance against the occupation," adding "there is a secret agreement between Israel and America to uproot the Palestinian resistance."
Hamas movement ousted security forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and took control of the Gaza Strip last June. Since then, Gaza has been put under a full Israeli siege after all its crossings were sealed off.
"All the political, economical and security strategies to end Hamas movement had failed ... Israel had failed so far in breaking the steadfastness and the patience of the Palestinian people," Haneya said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2008)
