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Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz (File Photo AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners March 7, 2006 |
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Israel's defense minister warned Tuesday that Hamas leaders, including incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, will not be immune from pinpointed Israeli killings if the Islamic militant group were to resume its attacks on Israel.
The minister, Shaul Mofaz, spoke a day after an Israeli air strike against an ice cream truck killed two Islamic Jihad terrorists and three bystanders in Gaza City.
Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, swept January parliamentary elections and is in the process of forming a Cabinet. It has rejected international calls to renounce its violent, anti-Israel ideology, but has maintained a year-old moratorium on suicide bombings.
Mofaz told Israel's Army Radio that Israel's policy of targeted killings has proven to be effective, and will continue.
"There is no question about its efficacy," Mofaz said. "Look what happened to Hamas in the years it conducted an untrammeled suicide bombing war against us. When we started the targeted killings, the situation changed, he said.
"We will continue the targeted killings at this pace," Mofaz added. "No one will be immune."
Asked if Haniyeh would be a target if Hamas were to resume attacks, Mofaz replied: "If Hamas, a terror organization that doesn't recognize agreements with us and isn't willing to renounce violence, presents us with the challenge of having to confront a terror organization, then no one there will be immune. Not just Ismail Haniyeh. No one will be immune."
Salah al-Bardawil, a Hamas spokesman, denounced Mofaz's comments.
"This statement and Israeli practices on the ground reflect the bloody, inhumane and inflammatory character of the Zionist enemy," al-Bardawil said. "We are not seeking immunity or mercy from Israel. We are in a confrontation. The side that is most steadfast is the side that will survive."
Hamas headed into a domestic confrontation on Monday by stripping Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of powers his then-ruling Fatah Party granted him in its last session.
Fatah delegates walked out of parliament in protest, charging that Hamas was twisting the rules to nullify Abbas' additional authority. On Tuesday, they plan to extend their protest by boycotting the parliamentary session, a Fatah official said.
The Hamas-Fatah conflict has been simmering since Hamas swept Fatah out of office in January, winning 74 seats in the new parliament to Fatah's 45.
Azzam al-Ahmed, Fatah's parliamentary faction leader, said Tuesday that Fatah would file suit against Hamas in the Palestinian Supreme Court in the course of the day.
"They used their majority to infringe the law on behalf of their interests, and we are resorting now to the judiciary to help us protect the law," al-Ahmed said.
Some legal experts say Abbas has the authority to cancel Hamas' action on Monday, a move that would perpetuate the standoff.
Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in an election in January 2005, and his term has three years to run, regardless of the makeup of the parliament.
AP contributed to this report.
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