Hamas slams Mitchell failure to get Israeli concessions on settlements

September 16, 2009

Gaza – Ma’an – The United States "can’t stop the Israeli attacks and can’t bring back Palestinian rights" Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said Wednesday following the failed efforts of US Envoy George Mitchell to persuade Israeli leadership to halt settlement activity.

"Palestinians are the ones to suffer from the weak position of the international community with respect to Israel, especially regarding the siege of Gaza, confiscated land, and the building and expansion of Israeli settlements," Barhoum added after news of Mitchell's second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to see the two reach an agreement on the issue of a settlement freeze, which Palestinians have set as a precondition for a tripartite meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting later this month preempting peace talks between the sides.

Barhoum said Hamas considers it a "failure of the American administration in [not being able to] force Israel to freeze its settlement activity...[it is] proof of the failure of the Obama administration in helping the Palestinian people." He added that Obama has brought nothing new to the table regarding the separation wall and settlement activity.

Hamas called on the US to take stronger positions regarding Israel and said that any future calls for negotiations from the US would signal an "intention to keep the settlements and marginalize Palestinian legal rights."