国际英语新闻：Hamas seeks AL recommendations to stop talks with Israel

GAZA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- A high-ranking Islamic Hamas movement official on Monday urged the Arab League following up committee, scheduled to meet in Libya on Friday to call for stopping the direct peace talks with Israel.

Mahmlud al-Zahar, member of Hamas politburo said during a convention in Gaza city that the Arabs shouldn't give any cover for the continuation of the talks "in such a manner and style that cause loss of the Palestinians' rights."

Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, opposes holding any direct or indirect peace talks with Israel. It calls for using "the armed resistance to force Israel to end its occupation."

The Palestinian leadership had on Saturday decided to halt peace talks with Israel after the Israeli government refused to extend a moratorium on freezing settlement construction in the Palestinian territories.

"If you (Arabs) can't back our position in resisting the occupation, don't be a burden on us to impose a project of surrender and settlement," said al-Zahar, adding that his movement supports to go an inter-Palestinian reconciliation.

"The reconciliation would reinforce resisting and confronting the occupation because it has approved over the past two decades that peace talks are absurd and useless," said al-Zahar, adding " reconciliation for us is strategic."

He meanwhile called on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to stop all types of negotiations with Israel, adding "there is no difference between the direct or the proximity talks, both achieved nothing to our people."

Al-Zahar warned the Palestinians of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, adding "this would mean that all the Palestinian lands are Jewish and belong to the Jewish people, and this means annulling the Palestinians' right of return."