Hamas' Haneya meets anti-Zionism Jews rabbis in Gaza

Deposed Hamas Premier Ismail Haneya on Thursday met anti-Zionism Jews in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting between the Islamic movement's leader and the four rabbis, members of Neturei Karta movement, lasted for nearly two hours at his office in Gaza city.

The rabbis, whose small movement calls for dismantling the state of Israel, arrived in Gaza last night as part of a Viva Palestine convoy, which included some 200 American and international pro-Palestinian activists, led by British MP George Galloway.

"Hamas has no problem with the Jews, the problem is only with the Israeli occupation which is based on the Zionism," Haneya told reporters after the meeting.

Haneya praised the Jews who "expressed their rejection to the occupation" by joining the aid convoy. "You reject the existence of people on the land of other people, so we have nothing but to respect these positions and appreciate your ideology," Haneya addressed the rabbis.

The convoy is the second in four months Galloway brings into the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip. "This convoy is of a special interest because most of its members have come from the United States," Haneya added.

The U.S. government deems Hamas a foreign terrorist organization since its charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. But Haneya said the American presence in the convoy "proves that not all the American people are supporting the Israeli occupation and the siege."

Israel has been imposing a blockade on the Gaza Strip for two years in response to Hamas' violent seizing of power in the coastal enclave. In January, Israel completed a fierce three-week offensive here, killing more than 1,400 Palestinians and destroying thousands of houses.