Palestinian gov't spokesman says Israel not peace partner

A spokesman of the Hamas-led Palestinian coalition government accused Israel on Tuesday of being unable to play a role in the peace process, saying the Jewish state is not a peace partner.

"The Israeli government is unable to be a peace partner and refuse to respond to the continual Palestinian initiatives," said government spokesman Mustafa al-Barghouti, who is also the information minister.

Al-Barghouti made the remarks following Israeli threats to launch a new offensive into the Gaza Strip where militants have stepped up rocket attacks against nearby Israeli communities.

"These threats reveal the true intentions of the feeble Israeli government especially as they came after the United States offered a security plan," the spokesman added.

Both Israel and the Palestinian factions did not welcome the American timeline proposal which aims at stopping Palestinian rocket attacks in exchange for easing movement through Israeli roadblocks in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israel's Ha'aretz daily revealed that the Israeli army had drawn up a plan to deal with the rockets that being fired from northern Gaza Strip.

The five-point plan is based on resuming assassinations against rocket squads and expanding buffer zone inside the security fence around the north of Gaza, said the report.

Source: Xinhua