Nazir Majally • Asharq Al-Awsat

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 27 June 2003 — Palestinian resistance groups yesterday took strong exception to US President George W. Bush’s appeal to governments around the world to work to dismantle them.

Bush’s comments against Hamas were “offensive to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim peoples,” said a senior leader of the movement. Abdul Aziz Al-Rantissi also said Bush’s statement “shows an aggressive spirit and a tyrannical policy that does not suit a superpower.”

“He knows that the international community recognizes the right of the Palestinians to resist the (Israeli) occupation,” Rantissi added.

Bush urged the European Union at a US-EU summit on Saturday “to take swift, decisive action against terror groups such as Hamas, to cut off their funding and support, as the United States has done.”

The United States wants the Europeans to place Hamas’ political wing on its list of terrorist groups, which would freeze any assets in EU nations. According to European sources, Washington also wants the EU to freeze the assets of a group of Hamas officials and deny them travel visas.

The smaller resistance group, Islamic Jihad, called Bush’s statement “provocative” and aimed at giving Israel a free hand on the ground. “This is a provocative declaration and a green light (to Israel) to continue its assassinations, airstrikes, raids and crimes,” Islamic Jihad official Mohammad Al-Hindi said.

Al-Hindi said: “Bush doesn’t see (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon’s crimes, he doesn’t acknowledge that assassinations are terrorism but he thinks that resisting the occupation is terrorism.”

“We don’t receive our financial support from Europe but from poor Palestinians and Muslims,” he added.

The resistance groups’ rebuttal came as Palestinian officials said that a formal cease-fire announcement was expected before the arrival of a senior US envoy over the weekend.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat initially said that a formal announcement was expected “in the coming few hours.” However, a senior Palestinian official later said a declaration would probably be made ahead of the arrival of US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice who is expected in the region tomorrow evening.