Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal says Schalit negotiations stalled, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to blame

Hamas politburo leader Khaled Mashaal said on Monday that efforts to exchange detainees with the Israeli enemy had stalled and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to blame.

During an interview with France 24 television, Mashaal held Netanyahu responsible for the delay in the release of Israeli prisoner Gilad Schalit.  "We hope negotiations will start again and I hope Netanyahu will not force us to kidnap other Israeli soldiers," he said.

"If the only way to release our prisoners is the imprisonment of more Israeli soldiers then Israeli authorities and Netanyahu will have to bear the consequences of not having released our Palestinian prisoners," said Meshaal.

Mashaal addressed the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as well, and said the US had no right to kill him. However, he stressed this did not mean Hamas supports Al-Qaeda’s attacks on civilians. "Concerning bin Laden everyone knows Hamas has differences from al-Qaeda ... especially (its) operations targeting civilians, but all this doesn't give the US the right to kill as they please without any regard for the law and to assassinate Arabs and Muslims, blaming everything on them and accusing them of terrorism," Mashaal said. "The fact they disposed of his body at sea is unacceptable and has touched the dignity of Muslims," Mashaal said, speaking through an interpreter.