Abu Marzouk: New Israeli government to decide on Shalit file within a month

[ 05/05/2009 - 04:45 PM ]

DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy political bureau chairman of Hamas, has predicted that the new Israeli government would decide its position regarding the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit within a month. Abu Marzouk told the PIC in an exclusive interview that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu still needs time until he understands the issue and adopts decisions, expecting that to take place within a month. He also said that the issue of Ayman Nofal, the Palestinian citizen (affiliated with Hamas) who is being held in Egyptian jails, was a sensitive issue and was discussed with the Egyptians during meetings and not on the media. "We are keen not to start any problem with the Egyptians," he elaborated. The Hamas leader said that the question of political detainees in the West Bank would be solved when a conciliation agreement is reached among all Palestinian factions, stressing that his Movement had insisted on their release and on closing the file of political detention once and for all. The government and its political program is the most problematic issue in the national dialog sessions in Cairo, Abu Marzouk pointed out, adding that no progress was achieved in this regard. He said that Hamas would opt to adopt the Egyptian proposal on forming a committee to rule both Gaza and the West Bank in the event no breakthrough in the government file could be achieved. The Hamas leader described the change in some of the European parliaments and public opinion following the Israeli war on Gaza as "positive", but was not enough for the European countries to change their policies, which, he said, were still affected by the US stands.