Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday he has given a green light to a transfer of weapons to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s personal security force so it can tackle Hamas.
The light weapons, from Jordan, are to enable Abbas “to cope with Hamas”, the hard-line Islamist group that leads the Palestinian government, Olmert said at the British Parliament in London.
His announcement followed a decision in principle by the Israeli authorities, revealed on May 25, to authorise the supply of light weapons to Abbas’s 3 000-strong presidential guard, known as Force 17.
“We want to strengthen Abu Mazen so that he will be able to cope with Hamas,” said the Israeli leader, using Abbas’s nom de guerre.
“Despite the tension and the firing of Qassam rockets, I ordered yesterday [Monday] the transfer of arms and munitions to … Abu Mazen in order to strengthen the presidential guard so he can strengthen his forces against Hamas.”
“I did it because we are running out of time and we need to help Abu Mazen.”
Olmert, who met British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday, also told members of Parliament that for security reasons, no one could expect Israel to withdraw from all Palestinian territories.
“We will never agree to pull out of all the territories because the borders of 1967 are undefendable,” he explained.
He also said Israel was willing to sit down and talk with Hamas, but only if the group accepts conditions set out by the diplomatic quartet — comprising the European Union, Russia, the United States and the United Nations — on Middle East peace.
“If Hamas entirely accepts all the preconditions of the quartet, we don’t rule out anyone,” he said.
In order to meet the quartet’s preconditions, Hamas would have to recognise the existence of Israel, renounce armed struggle and accept existing pacts — including the road map to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. — AFP