Front Page
AFTER MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MUBARAK, PRESIDENT ABBAS: THE URGENT GOAL NOW IS TO END THE AGGRESSION; I CALL UPON HAMAS TO RESPOND TO THE EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE AND NOT WASTE TIME
Palestinian President Abbas said in Cairo yesterday: We are in a race with time to end the aggression and every day, there are martyrs falling every day and more destruction. He called on Hamas to respond to the Egyptian initiative and not waste time. He stressed that the urgent goal now is to end the aggression on Gaza Strip and activate the Egyptian initiative. He said the resistance is not a goal if it will lead to the destruction of the people of Palestine. He explained that the Palestinian people want peace and that there are contacts with the Israeli side to end the aggression. He said the Egyptian initiative is the mechanism that can allow the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1860. al-Quds

KHALED MASH'AL TO THE ZIONISTS: YOU SHORTENED THE LIFE OF YOUR ENTITY THROUGH THE MASSACRES YOU COMMITTED AND THE BATTLE HAS REACHED THE POINT OF THUMB BITING
Khaled Mash'al, Head of Hamas Politburo, said yesterday in a televised speech from Damascus that the goals of the enemy are beginning to diminish and the resistance is fine and will win. He added: the Zionist aggression on Gaza Strip failed and has not achieved anything. The Zionists in their war created resistance in every home and in every country at a time when they wanted to wipe out the resistance. This war is not a war against Hamas as the Zionists like to portray; it is not a war against anyone who carries arms on the land of Gaza; it is a war against the entire Palestinian people; the resistance on the land of Gaza is the most important resistance on the Palestinian arena. It is a war against the Palestinian cause and our entire nation. The aim of the aggression is to force us to succumb and surrender so that they can impose on us the humiliating conditions as part of the American-Zionist scheme. The enemy tries to consider Gaza as an arena to show off its muscles and regain the reputation of its army. The enemy tried to impose its conditions but it was surprised by the force of the resistance on the land of Gaza. We assure you in the Arab and Islamic world and the free world that the resistance on the land of Gaza is fine and will come out from this victorious. The resistance was able to contain the first strike and then took the initiative and surprised the enemy. Some fear that after all this sacrifice, the resistance would make concessions, but we say that the sacrifices will increase our determination to cling to our goals and demands. It is unfair that after all these massacres to reach to a permanent truce; this battle has a cost and the cost is liberation, freedom and self determination and end of the siege. We have to be patient and we have to contain the pain and massacres and we will win. The enemy set up several goals at the start of the war, they wanted to crush Gaza, then they said they want to end Hamas rule in Gaza, and then they said they want to end the resistance and stop the rockets and impose new facts on the ground in preparation for schemes that aim to wipe out the Palestinian cause but today, what do we see from its goals? They achieved nothing so far. The enemy succeeded in one shameful thing: they succeeded in killing our children and women; they committed the massacres; they rounded up civilians in homes and killed them in cold blood; they abducted people and executed them; the enemy succeeded in making a real holocaust on the land of Gaza. I tell the Zionist people: what have you achieved in this war that you supported: you killed innocent children; your leaders want to win the next elections and they are doing this at the expense of Palestinian blood, but let me be honest with you; you lost the international public opinion; you wasted and destroyed the last chance for settlement and negotiations and no Arab or Palestinian official will be allowed to sell to us the settlement and negotiations because our people lost faith in the settlement which achieved nothing but bitterness. You shortened the life of your entity through these massacres you committed against children and women; there is no future for this entity. On the political and diplomatic initiatives and moves, the international community allowed the passing of the UN Security Council resolution only after the world watched the massacres committed against our people but the resolution was born without any chance to be implemented we stress that the enemy which committed the aggression has to abide by the decision and not the resistance that is defending its people. With regards to all ideas and initiatives, our position has been very clear throughout this period, we are the victims and all kinds of massacres have been committed against us, we demand end of the aggression immediately because this is not a balanced battle and it is not a ceasefire between two armies, we demand also immediate withdrawal of the occupation from Gaza, and we demand the end of the siege on Gaza, and we need opening all of the crossings, mainly Rafah Crossing; these are our just demands and then we will deal with an open mind with any initiative based on our demands. Hamas will not accept a permanent truce because this will be confiscation of the Palestinian right in resistance. As long as there is occupation, there will be resistance. We reject presence of international forces because these will come to protect the security of Israel and to strike the resistance and we will consider any international troops imposed on our people as occupation troops. We will not talk about any restrictions against the resistance. It is high time to reconsider Rafah Crossing Agreement and we offered a logical formula and I demand from Mahmoud Abbas to tell the world that he accepts Palestinian partnership between himself and Hamas in Gaza for arrangements on Rafah Crossing in which Egypt and Europeans participate. We need more from the people in the West Bank; they want the West Bank to remain under occupation, settlements and the wall but we want the West Bank to uprise again. We tell the Arab countries: we forgive you for your mistakes with us but it is never too late to rectify the mistakes; I call upon the Arab countries to support the Palestinian people after the victory and support us in taking the enemy leaders to trials to try them for the massacres they committed and not welcome any Israeli official in any Arab capital. I call the Arab countries to hold an emergency summit and there is no excuse for delaying the summit. The Gaza battle has ramifications and despite our wounds, we will come out victorious so rearrange your positions based on this, stand with the winning side and don't remain watching. www.albian.ps

Headlines

• The US Congress adopts decisions that support Israel. al-Qudss
• The Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip enters its third week: 854 martyrs, including seven members from one family and more than 3600 injuries. Intensive shelling on the homes, factories and main facilities and the resistance rockets continue.al-Quds
• Thousands of demonstrators in front of the White House in the largest solidarity demonstration in the history of America. al-Qudss

Front Page Photos
al-Quds
1) A young man trying to calm down scared girls as he takes them away from areas shelled by the Israeli army; 2) President Abbas in a meeting with German FM in Cairo yesterday.

al-Ayyam
1) Citizens carrying one of the martyrs after an Israeli air raid in Bet Lahia yesterday; 2) President Abbas talking to one of the wounded at Palestine Hospital yesterday.

al-Hayyat al-Jadida
1) Children carrying their personal belongings as they evacuated their home in Jabalia Camp; 2) President Abbas visiting the wounded at Palestine Hospital in Cairo yesterday.

Voice of Palestine News
Gaza
Four Palestinians, including a woman, were killed and 30 more citizens were injured due to intensive Israeli aerially and arterially shelling on Khan Yunis, Gaza city and a-Zaytoun quarter this dawn. Wild clashes between resistance fighters and Israeli forces have been taking place in Tal al-Hawa and Sheikh E`jleen areas southwest of Gaza city since three hours. Few Israeli tanks raided E`jleen quarter this morning and they have been shelling rockets in all directions. Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli occupation forces targeted a school that belongs to the UNRWA at Khuza`a village causing massive damages to the building. They added that the Israeli tanks shell phosphoric rockets towards the village in addition to that the Israeli F16 warplanes are striking several locations north of Gaza strip and east of Jabalia camp. Meanwhile, death toll due to the Israeli ongoing aggression in Gaza strip for the 15th consecutive days has climbed 854 martyrs in addition to 3600 injuries. Medical sources report that many martyrs` bodies have been removed from under the debris of places that were previously inaccessible. They also indicated that 275 children, 98 women, 92 elderly people, 4 journalists and 12 paramedics are among the death toll of the Israeli aggression and that 410 of the total injuries are in critical condition.

Voice of Palestine Interviews
Yasser Abedrabou: Secretary of the PLO Executive Committee
Q: How is the current political climate responding to the Egyptian Initiative?

The Egyptian Initiative is the only remaining hope for now. As the Palestinian blood is spilled, getting involved in maneuvers and attempts to gain partisan gains are all useless. I do wish to be involved in a political discourse with "Hamas". Still, Mesha`l`s statements yesterday are an indication to that there are people seeking to achieve partisan gains at the expense of the Palestinian blood. What is the significance now of posing preconditions such as demanding a share in control at Rafah crossing ahead of agreeing on a cease-fire? This is an internal Palestinian affair that can be handled by the Palestinians and it should never be treated as a precondition to halt the Israeli aggression.

Q: Press reports highlight today that Israel will have no other choice but to carry out broad military ground operations in Gaza strip in case the political moves continue to be frozen. Do you agree with this assessment?

This danger is probable indeed. Those who did not believe our words in the past warning of a possible Israeli aggression should believe us now about serious Israeli threats to carry our broad ground operations. The Israeli hostility has no limits and the Israeli readiness to proceed with its aggression is available. Thus, we call on accepting the Egyptian Initiative as it is in order to block the path of the Israeli aggression.