Haneyya: Israel must stop the slaughter, withdraw, lift the siege

LONDON, (PIC)-- In an article published in the Independent on Thursday, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haneyya laid down Hamas's conditions for a truce with the Israeli occupation forces. "Our condition for a new ceasefire is clear and simple. Israel must end its criminal war and slaughter of our people, lift completely and unconditionally its illegal siege of the Gaza Strip, open all our border crossings and completely withdraw from Gaza," Haneyya wrote. He emphasised that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 was not an end of occupation as Israel kept control of land, sea and air of Gaza, and thus Israel was still responsible for Gaza as an occupying power. He also pointed out that the Israeli occupation forces killed 1250 Palestinians, including 222 children, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between 2005 and 2008, adding that for most of that time the border crossings to the Gaza Strip were closed allowing only limited quantities of food, fuel and other essential goods. The Prime Minster also asserted that having failed to quash the Palestinian democratic will through treachery and starvation, Israel supported by its western allies resorted to this criminal war on Gaza to "impose its own terms for a final settlement depriving us of our land, our right to Jerusalem as the rightful capital of our future state and the Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homes." He said that Israel did not respect the six-month truce that was in place before this latest Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, as it killed many Palestinians during the truce and did not lift the siege which was a condition of the truce. He also stressed that Israeli atrocities and targeting of schools, universities, mosques and civil infrastructure would not deter the Palestinian people from pursuing their national rights. " Undoubtedly, Israel could demolish every building in the Gaza Strip but it would never shatter our determination or steadfastness to live in dignity on our land."