Hamas: Qaeda in Gaza, False Excuse To Continue Siege

In his statements to Ikhwanweb, Osama Hamdan, Head of Hamas Office in Lebanon, denied the rumor of the existence of a Qaeda network in Gaza.

Hamdan accused the precautionary and Zionist security apparatus, backed by the US, of circulating such misleading rumors prior to the determination of Hamas”s  military success and since its sweeping victory in the last legislative elections explaining that it is a part of the campaign to incite hatred against the movement.

Hamdan stressed the crystal clear difference between Palestine“s Islamic movements on the one hand, whether it is Hamas or Islamic Jihad, and Al-Qaeda on the other hand asserting that Palestinians adopt moderate Islamic thought, not the extremist.  Hamdan further explained that such rumors basically aim at inciting hatred against the movement so it could be used as an excuse to continue the siege on Gaza.

Hamdan accused Mahmoud Abbas (President of the PLA) of aborting all efforts exerted for inter-Palestinian dialogue through provocative statements or procedures such as his announcement, “I won’t attend next Cairo’s dialogue meeting.”

Some of the links that you requested are below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4776578.stm (Hamas rejects al-Qaeda’s support)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6237314.stm (Al-Qaeda seeks unity with Hamas)

http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=22243 (Hamas rejects bin Laden message)


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186900,00.html (Hamas Rejects Zawahiri’s Support
)
http://www.muslimbrotherhood.co.uk/Home.asp?ID=7658&Lang=E&Press=Show&System=PressR&zPage=Systems (Hamas Rejects Al Qaeda, Rebuts Abbas Claims)

http://www.ikhwanweb.com/Article.asp?ID=671&SectionID=71 (Abu Marzouk: Hamas Rejects Al Zawahri Statements)

http://conflictsforum.org/briefings/Hamas-and-al-Qaeda-monograph.pdf

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258241,00.html?sPage=fnc.specialsections/waronterror (Al Qaeda Number 2 Ayman Al-Zawahiri Condemns
Hamas for Accepting Unity Deal With Fatah)

http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=2687 (Hamas: US threat
claim is cynical diversion)