Gaza's defiant Islamists reject PLO dominance

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a rally in Gaza City December 14, 2009, marking the 22nd anniversary of the Hamas' foundation.

GAZA (Reuters) - The Islamist movement Hamas served notice on Monday that it would ignore any decisions by the Palestine Liberation Organization this week about future leadership and peace talks with Israel.

"Hamas will not retreat from Jihad and resistance until it achieves freedom and independence for our people," Gaza Strip Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told a huge rally.

"We will not recognize Israel and we will not abandon resistance." he said.

In a speech underlining the split in Palestinian ranks between his movement and the secular Fatah group, the Hamas leader in Gaza said any decisions taken by the PLO Central Council meeting in the West Bank would be unconstitutional.

"We say to PLO Central Council members who will meet tomorrow in Ramallah that any decision that contradicts the constitution and contradicts the will of the people, will not be binding," he told tens of thousands of supporters.

Hamas rules the cramped Mediterranean enclave, which was hammered by an Israeli military offensive a year ago. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005 and after driving out the mainstream Fatah movement in 2007, Hamas took full power.

Fatah said in a statement that the speech showed Hamas wanted to entrench the Palestinian division. Hamas had closed the door on Egyptian reconciliation efforts, it added.

As supporters celebrated the anniversary of the foundation of Hamas 22 years ago, Haniyeh promised no wavering from the goal of "a Palestine from the sea to the river (Jordan), a land of Islamic Waqf (religious endowment)."

Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and opposes the Fatah strategy pursued by President Mahmoud Abbas of seeking to negotiate a permanent peace deal.

ONE YEAR AFTER WAR

Haniyeh said Israel's Dec 27-Jan 18 offensive against Gaza, launched with the stated aim of quelling rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and other armed groups, had failed to crush Hamas.

"Those who planned the war and executed it did not expect these crowds to come today waving their flags...Hamas did not collapse after the war, the enemy leaders collapsed," he said.

He also defied Israel's blockade of Gaza, which bars materials to rebuild homes and factories destroyed by the offensive, in which Palestinian say 1,400 of their people were killed. Thirteen Israelis lost their lives.

"After four years of blockade, we say the fortresses will never collapse and the castles will never be penetrated and we will never make political concessions," Haniyeh said.

Hamas is not part of the PLO, which was founded in 1964 and is recognized internationally as the representative body of the Palestinians. Its Central Council created the Palestinian Authority in 1993 under an interim peace accord with Israel.

The PLO is expected to extend the term of Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority this week, and back his call for a halt to Jewish settlement in the West Bank before re-engaging Israel in peace talks that stalled a year ago.

It will also back his opposition to U.S. calls for an immediate resumption of peace talks, according to an early draft of resolutions obtained by Reuters.

If approved, Abbas would stay in office until elections can be held, which will require the agreement of Hamas, which does not recognize his legitimacy.

An Egyptian proposal to promote reconciliation between the groups has called for Palestinian presidential and legislative elections to be held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip next June to heal the political rift. So far there is no agreement.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi and Tom Perry in Ramallah; writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Charles Dick)