Assassination covers crimes of peace talks

Friday morning’s assassination of Al Qassam leader was an “attempt to cover up negotiations,” party official Salah Al-Bardawil said in a statement sent from Gaza hours after the killing.

“These negotiations will lead to many important concessions,” the official warned, saying the assassination was part of an Israeli plan to divert attention from the concessions Palestinain negotiators were making.

“The resistance cannot let pass the occupation’s schemes against the Palestinian national project,” Al-Bardawil said.

Al-Bardawil said the Hamas battle with the “occupation will never end, we will fight them bitterly.” Commenting on the assassination of Iyad in Tulkarem, he said that our battle with the occupation will never end and we will fight them bitterly.

The party stated its opposition to the continued negotiations before they began, saying that Abbas did not have a mandate to go forward with talks, first because his term ran out in January 2010, and second because he in no way represented the people of Gaza.