Hamas Leaders Praise Jihad and Renew Calls to Fight Israel:
Mahmoud Zahar, a top Hamas leader, and other candidates went out of their way to deny they would ever give up their insistence on the destruction of Israel and the right to armed struggle. ''We are entering the legislative council to make it a project of resistance," he told a cheering crowd Monday night in Gaza, adding, in a jab at Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, ''Do you want to abandon the program of sacrifice and jihad for the program of fancy cars and big salaries?" Zahar said Palestinians have the right to all the land of Israel, including ''Jerusalem, east and west." Once Hamas enters parliament, he said, ''If we find any trace of Oslo we will kill it. If we find a mouse from Oslo we will kill him." (Boston Globe)
The Hamas Campaign Platform - Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook (Palestinian Media Watch):
On Jan. 17, PA Television broadcast the following Hamas election ad:Posted on 24 January 2006 @ 15:41 GMT"We do not recognize the Israeli enemy, nor his right to be our neighbor, nor to stay, nor his ownership of any inch of land."
"Therefore, we do not see [Israel] as an ally, not in policy, not in security, not in economy, and not in any form of cooperation."
"Israel is an enemy who is interested in uprooting us, and we are interested in restoring our full rights to return all the people of Palestine to the land of Palestine."
"Our principles are clear: Palestine is a land of Waqf [Islamic trust], which cannot be given up."