Hamas' political spokesman Khaled Mashaal flashes V sign during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2005. Mashaal said Wednesday that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was an important achievement, but would not lead to his group's disarmament. Mashaal also told reporters that his group was still committed to a six-month-old truce with Israel, but said 'our joy should not let us forget the march for liberation and the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people.' (AP Photo/Marwan Assaf)