Hamas: More civil resistance planned against Israel in future

Dec 24, 2011, 14:04 GMT

Gaza - The Islamist Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip said Saturday it will focus more on civil resistance against Israel while retaining the right to continue its armed struggle if attacked.

'It's about popular resistance in all its forms, such as sit-ins, demonstrations, marches and civil disobedience,' Hamas official Salah al-Bardaweel told dpa. This had been agreed upon with various resistance groups in the Gaza Strip, he said, without providing further details.

The new strategy does not mean, however, that Hamas will not continue the armed struggle against Israel, al-Bardaweel clarified, adding that if Israel launches an offensive against the Gaza Strip, Hamas will also respond militarily.

Al-Bardaweel said Hamas had agreed to greater civil resistance 'against the occupation,' but that it 'retained the right to armed resistance whenever necessary.'

The change in strategy also brings Hamas closer to the more moderate Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that governs the West Bank.

Hamas on Friday joined a temporary committee aimed at reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the umbrella body of Palestinian groups, ahead of general elections next year.

On Thursday, Abbas chaired the first meeting of the committee in Cairo, in a first attempt in years to reform the PLO.

On May 4, Fatah and Hamas announced a unity deal intended to end their rivalry. The Egypt-brokered agreement aims to restore Palestinian political unity, after a rift that has persisted since June 2007 when Hamas routed Abbas' forces and seized control of the Gaza Strip.

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