Hamas: Resistance forced Israel into Gaza pullout

4/15/2005 4:30:00 PM GMT

Years of armed resistance, and not negotiations, forced Israel to decide to pull out from the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Zahar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, said.

"Very simply, nobody can deny that if Israel is going to leave the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank, that was because of the intifada, because of the armed struggle, because of the big sacrifices of Hamas for this goal," Zahar, 60, told Britain’s Times newspaper.

“It was not because of negotiations, or the goodwill of Israel, or the Americans and Europeans,”

According to the disengagement plan, Israel is expected to evacuate all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, as well as four other enclaves in the West Bank.

The Hamas leader also said that extending the truce only depends on “what Israel does".

"We are looking for withdrawal, real withdrawal, and not to violate our sovereignty," he said.

"If they are going to be at the gates between Gaza and Egypt, or going to control our sea border, and if they are going to attack our houses by their helicopters or F16s, will that satisfy the people who have sacrificed?"

Zahar also said that Hamas hoped to win its first legislative elections when it stands against Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party.

Hamas has scored landslide victories in local municipality elections in the past months.

Last month, Hamas announced its decision to participate in Palestinian parliamentary elections, planned for July, ending a long-standing boycott of political life.

“We have three options: either to be the majority and to ask others to participate according to our programme; second, to be a minority and participate in government; or to be a strong political opponent in the parliament," he said.

"If we are a majority, we are going to establish the government, or will form the cabinet."

Zahar noted that Hamas’ goal was to reform and reconstruct buildings, replant trees, boost the Palestinian economy and "move towards a new strategy: cooperation with the Arabs, not cooperation with the Israelis."