GAZA CITY, 28 August 2005 — US President George W. Bush yesterday demanded Palestinians do more to rein in armed activists as Hamas taunted Israel by releasing the videotape of a senior commander who has eluded Israeli forces for more than a decade.

Bush stopped short of calling on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle Hamas and other groups, and Palestinian officials in Washington said the White House understood that Abbas and his security forces would need more time to prepare for any push to disarm the activists.

“Now that Israel has withdrawn, the way forward is clear. The Palestinians must show the world that they will fight terrorism and govern in a peaceful way,” Bush said.

“We demand an end to terrorism and violence in every form because we know that progress depends on ending terror,” Bush added in his weekly radio address.

Mohammed Deif, the Hamas activist sought by the Israeli forces, urged Palestinians to continue to carry out attacks on Israeli targets despite the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four other settlements in the West Bank.

In the tape, Deif praised those who were killed in attacks against Israel and said the Israeli pullout came as a result of those Mujahedeen hits. “Without the jihad and this steadfastness, we would not have achieved the liberation of the Gaza Strip.”

Addressing Israelis, he said: “You occupied our land and now you are leaving Gaza humiliated.”

Deif urged the Palestinian Authority not to disarm Palestinians and use dialogue as the only way to solve disagreements. “We warn all those who try to touch the weapons of whose who liberated Gaza, these weapons must be used to free our occupied homeland,” Deif said.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry said in statement that there was nothing new in the tape and Hamas remained committed to a cease-fire declared by the Palestinians and Israel in February.

Israeli security sources said Deif had been the mastermind of a long list of attacks on Israelis and responsible for dozens of deaths.

With Palestinian legislative elections approaching in January, Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah party are locked in a bitter struggle over who deserves credit for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

Hamas claims that years of bombings and rocket attacks drove the Israelis out. Abbas has tried to shore up his standing with promises that he can improve life in Gaza after the withdrawal. Abbas is a vocal critic of violence and hopes to resume peace talks with Israel.

There was no way to positively identify the figure as Deif because a dark shadow covered his face. Deif has been in hiding since 1992 and the only known photos of him were taken in the 1980s.

Hamas had boasted for several days that Deif was going to make a public statement, and militants delivered the tape to newspaper offices in Gaza City. The group also posted a transcript of his comments on its website.

Hamas has scaled back its activities since the truce declaration, but Israel says the group is using the lull to revamp its military capabilities. Israel has said any resumption of peace talks would depend on Abbas’ ability to disarm Hamas and other militant groups.

Gideon Meir, a senior official with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said the videotape threatened to derail the recent atmosphere of goodwill after the Gaza pullout.

“The disengagement opened a prospect of hope for the Palestinian people and Mohammed Deif is trying to spoil the show,” he said. “His declaration proves again why the Palestinian Authority must fulfill its duty and fight the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.”

Abbas met at his West Bank headquarters yesterday with Israeli lawmaker Ephraim Sneh, a leader in the Labour Party, the junior partner in the Israeli coalition government.

Sneh said the two men had discussed ways to proceed with peace talks after the Gaza withdrawal. He declined to provide details. But Israeli media reported that Abbas had promised Sneh that he will demand that Hamas disarm if it wants to join the Palestinian government.

Abbas has previously called on militants to disarm, but refuses to confront them with force.

Opponents of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon have criticized the Gaza pullout as a surrender to Palestinian violence. Many Israelis fear the area will turn into a Hamas stronghold after the pullout and be used as a base for continued attacks against Israel.

— Additional input from agencies