Friday, May 25, 2007

PM Haniyeh's advisor tells Israeli TV: "projectiles are like fireworks"


"Bethlehem - Ma'an - Israeli TV Channel Two broadcast an interview on Thursday with the Palestinian Prime Minister's advisor, Dr Ahmad Yousef, in which Yousef described the homemade projectiles launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel as "fireworks".

The advisor said that these projectiles are not causing any damage or harm to Israel. Only one Israeli has been killed, he said, while 63 Palestinians were killed in the last week alone.

Yousef added that "Israel is using these projectiles in order to kill Palestinians. "Can the stick be compared with the sword?" he asked. "These projectiles are almost like fireworks; they are not killing. Only one Israeli woman has been killed, but the Israeli military machine killed 63 [Palestinians] last week." He added, "The president described them as useless."

After Ma'an News Agency published what was reported by the Israeli TV, Dr. Yousef contacted the agency denying what he said on the Israeli TV and told Ma'an, "What I said was taken out of context." He added, "What was published was partially broadcast from a whole sequence."

In his statement to Ma'an, Yousef said that the TV reported only part of what he said. He also told the TV that the Palestinian people have the right to retaliate for the "Israeli aggression with all available means."

He also added that "Israel succeeded in playing the role of the victim by showing its people as facing a wave of rockets from the Palestinian resistance in order to justify its aggression and massacres and to frustrate the government."

The advisor also said that the effects of the Palestinian projectiles "are not the same as what the Israel media try to show and publish."

Dov Weissglas, the chief advisor and office director of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, described the Palestinian projectiles as "fireworks" in 2003. The Israeli political parties and politicians launched a campaign of criticism at the office at the time and called on the director to apologize as they considered the statement to be weakening the Israeli story in regard to these projectiles. "

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