Hamas on Sunday condemned the remarks of MK Waleed Taha from the Ra’am Party, who said that an operation in Gaza would not necessarily endanger the government.
In an interview with Dafna Liel on Channel 12 News, Taha said, "We as an Arab party do not like wars at all and are revolted by them. For me that should not be the test, but rather the test is what needs to be done to enable life."
"Let's say there is an operation in Gaza and we leave the coalition – will there be another government that will not fight? We want peace and that Israel will advance issues of life," he added.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanoa said in response that Hamas strongly condemned Taha's remarks, which did not reflect the position of the Palestinian people.
Taha's remarks, Qanoa added, are against the Palestinian-Arab identity and serve the goals of the "Zionist occupation" that seeks to undermine the unity of the Palestinian people.
He called on the Palestinian Arab public to condemn Taha's remarks and his unpatriotic stance which represents only him.
MK Taha later on Sunday retracted his original remarks, telling the Makan Arabic-language radio station, "We will not stand idly by in the event of a war on the Gaza Strip."