Mohammed Dahlan, a member of Fatah's Central Committee,
said in a press statement that the spoken promises the US administration could
not be trusted.
"I am convinced that America's mission is to satisfy
(Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu, and not to continue the peace
process," Dahlan said.
He added that the US policy "will not bring peace,
because on the core issues, one side will not change the stances it presented
in the past."
The Fatah official accused US Special Envoy to the Middle
East George Mitchell of leaving "his primary job as a negotiator and
becoming Netanyahu's public relations person."
Dahlan said that the US pressured the Palestinians to go
from indirect to direct talks because of "internal conflicts and
Mitchell's failure to convince Netanyahu to make progress on any subject."
"(Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas went to negotiations because of the
Arab League not because of his personal opinion."
Meanwhile, Gaza-based Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said
there was no connection between this week's military attacks in the West Bank
and the launching of direct peace negotiations.
Four Israeli occupiers were killed and two others were
injured in two separate shooting attacks this week. Hamas' armed wing claimed
responsibility for both attacks.
Al-Zahhar said the attempt to link the attacks to the
peace talks is "fundamentally wrong," adding that the decision to
carry out the attacks was made by "people in the field."
"People are saying that the timing of the attacks was
deliberate, but this is not true. When people have an opportunity as well as
capabilities and targets, they act. We will not bear responsibility for the
failure of what is faulty at its foundation," Al-Zahhar said, referring to
the possibility that the peace negotiations will collapse.
"We want Gaza to remain calm because we liberated
it. At this time, we are not speaking of the liberation of all of Palestine.
The current plan is to liberate the West Bank," the Hamas man said.
"If they (PA) succeed in doing so, we will give them
credit. How was Gaza freed? Through negotiations? Of course not! The Israelis
understood that (occupying Gaza) exacts a heavy price and chose to leave."
"The question is who is preventing resistance in the
West Bank? asked Al-Zahhar. "They (PA) are by cooperating with Israel on
security issues!"
Regarding the peace talks, the Hamas official said,
"Its results are already known. The Israelis are united with regard to
Jerusalem, and the Palestinian side will get nothing. Secondly, the refugees --
who can convince the (Palestinian) refugees in Jordan, Syria or Lebanon to
accept what is being proposed?
"Abu Mazen (Abbas) will conduct himself as Abu Ammar
(Yasser Arafat) did -- he will not give up on the principles and the issue will
be over," Al-Zahhar stated.