Hamas break off disarmament talks

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas today rejected disarmament talks with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, throwing the future of a US-backed peace plan into doubt.

The surprise reversal by the militants came just hours after Israeli troops killed two Hamas activists in an arrest raid in the West Bank.

A refusal to negotiate a truce could force Abbas into having to make a difficult choice: either crack down on the group and risk civil war, or let it continue bombing and shooting attacks that would derail Washington’s peace efforts.

But a Palestinian Cabinet minister said talks with Hamas leaders abroad were continuing, suggesting there is still a chance a ceasefire can be reached.

Others said that Hamas, known for its pragmatism, would not risk a confrontation with Abbas’s security forces and would quickly resume talks.

As part of the US-backed road map to Palestinian statehood, the prime minister has to disarm and dismantle militant groups that have killed hundreds of Israelis in 32 months of fighting.

Abbas has been trying to negotiate with the militias rather than use force, and said earlier this week that he was optimistic he could broker a truce within a week.

But today a Hamas hard-liner said all efforts to reach a truce were off.

Abdel Aziz Rantisi said Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, made too many concessions at a Mideast summit on Wednesday in Jordan.

At the meeting with US President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Abbas called for an end to the “armed intefadeh”.

“We were shocked when we saw Abu Mazen and his new government giving up all the Palestinians’ rights,” Rantisi said.

“Abu Mazen committed himself in front of Bush and Sharon to very dangerous issues that closed the door of dialogue between us.”

Other Hamas officials said they would meet Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group, tomorrow to persuade it to break off truce talks as well.

Mohammed Hindi, an Islamic Jihad spokesman, said it had not yet taken a position on whether to leave the talks.

Bassam Saabi, a West Bank Islamic Jihad leader, said under no conditions would his group take up arms against Abbas.

“We are brothers, we are fighting for the same goals and there is always a solution,” he said.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Ziad Abu Amr said the killing of the two Hamas activists by Israeli troops was hampering efforts to reach a truce with that group.

“Israel’s continuation of the policy of assassinations and incursion is an obstacle in the way of efforts of dialogue with the Palestinian parties and the possibility of reaching a ceasefire with them,” he said.

The Hamas activists were killed overnight during an arrest raid in the village of Attil. The Israeli army said they had refused to leave a house that its soldiers had surrounded.

Rantisi said the killings were a direct result of Abbas’ concessions.

“Abu Mazen, through giving up the right of resistance and calling it terrorism, gave the green light to Sharon and his army,” he said.

Palestinians in Gaza held three separate pro-Hamas rallies today.

About 1,000 people marched at each, some waving green Hamas flags and chanting: “No to the summit, we will not accept surrender.”

The Palestinians also fired seven anti-tank grenades and lobbed more than 100 hand grenades.

There were no serious injuries reported on either side.