Hamas Says It Studies Stopping Attacks if Israel Pullouts from West Bank

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Hamas Says It Studies Stopping Attacks if Israel Pullouts from West Bank

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, on Monday said it is willing to study stopping suicide bombing attacks against Israel if Israel pulls out its troops from the West Bank.

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The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, on Monday said it is willing to study stopping suicide bombing attacks against Israel if Israel pulls out its troops from the West Bank.

"Once Israel stop occupying the West Bank, assassinating our people and demolishing our houses, we are ready to positively studystopping martyrdom operations (suicide bombings)," Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin told Xinhua when he met with three other top Hamas leaders in Gaza.

Yassin said Hamas' basic principle "is to tell the occupier to leave our territories," which were referred to all of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem that were occupied by Israel in the 1967 war.

"Our position had not changed, but in order to concert with the current world's situation, I would tell the occupier: if you leave the West Bank towns, end demolishing of homes, stop assassination and release prisoners, we will be ready to study positively the martyrdom attacks," he added.

Hamas has rejected the Middle East peace process. Its armed winghas carried out dozens of suicide bombing attacks that has killed hundreds of people in Israel.

Palestinian analysts termed Yassin's new statement as "a big andimportant change in Hamas' hardline political position, which had always called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied territories."

Isma'eel Haneya, one of the three leaders meeting with Yassin earlier in the day, said Hamas' position and strategy are clear in terms of continuing resistance against the Israeli occupation.

"But if Israel withdraws from the occupied territories, stops assassination and destruction of houses, I'm certain that Hamas movement would seriously and positively study stopping attacks," said Haneya.

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