Islamic Jihad movement Thursday said it does not oppose Arab forces in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Nafez Azzam, an Islamic Jihad leader based in Gaza, voiced the stance of his movement to the press after being asked about the Egyptian proposal to send Arab forces to the territory.
"We welcome any Arab assistance for the Palestinians to arrange their internal condition," but the Arab troops in Gaza "was a sensitive idea that needs a complete Palestinian understanding and deep evaluations," Azzam said.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, rejects the deployment of Arab forces on its territory and claims that all the Palestinian factions, except Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, support its stance. Hamas also threatens to deal with the Arab forces as an occupying power.
Azzam said his movement has informed the Egyptians about its position regarding the Arab forces during a meeting between the Islamic Jihad leaders and Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suliman.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit proposed to dispatch Arab forces to Gaza to support his country's efforts to broker a national Palestinian reconciliation, mainly between Hamas and Fatah.
Last year, Hamas routed pro-Abbas forces and ousted his Fatah movement during a deadly fighting and took control of the Gaza Strip. Abbas boosted his power in the West Bank.
Source:Xinhua
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