PA minister: No room for Israel on land

 

Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar tells Chinese news agency he dreams of hanging huge map in his Gaza home without Israel on it; adds he does not rule out possibility of Jews, Muslims, Christians living together in Muslim state
Itamar Eichner

 

Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar said in an interview to the Chinese news agency: "I dream about hanging a huge map of the world on the wall of my Gaza house, in which Israel will not appear."

 

"I hope that our dream of having an independent state on the entire territory of historical Palestine will be realized one day, and I am sure that there is no room for the State of Israel on this land," he added.

 

In the interview, al-Zahar did not reject the possibility of Jews, Muslims and Christians living together under the sovereignty of a Muslim state. He defended Hamas' declared goal of destroying the State of Israel, and said that he is convinced the world will eventually understand things.

 

Al-Zahar declared that Hamas will not disarm its military wing, adding that the Hamas government will continue to support armed organizations opposing the Israeli occupation.

 

"Why should we disarm the militants with the Palestinian territories still under occupation? The people have to defend themselves," he said.

 

'Al-Zahar continuing Iranian president's strategy'

 

Sources in Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said that Zahar is continuing the strategy initiated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who recently called for Israel to be wiped off the map.

 

"The voice is al-Zahar's voice, and the hands are the Iranian president's hands. Anyone who imagines holding negotiations with Hamas should read al-Zahar's interview and understand who we are dealing with," a source said.

 

Story first published by Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth