HAMAS VOICES REBUFF OF FRENCH PEACE INITIATIVE

Gaza, 6 Ramadan 1436/23 June 2015 (MINA) – Hamas has voiced its firm rebuff of a projected France-brokered peace initiative between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation authority (IOA).

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Redwan said in an exclusive statement to the Anadolu news agency that the group firmly rejects the French project and warns of any international or European initiatives that intend to turn Palestinians’ rights and constants into bargaining chips.

“We notify everybody to never give a positive response to any sort of bids that would flout Palestinians’ rights and tenets, including the right of return and the right to the land,” he added, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Redwan also said the group rejects to resume peace negotiations with the IOA, dubbing such moves “futile” and “a waste of time.”

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius vowed that France will not give up on finding a way to re-start peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

The French initiative seeks a UN Security Council resolution which would set a timetable for a final status agreement.(T/P008/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)