Leaders of Palestinian factions claimed on Saturday the speech of Israeli hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, scheduled on Sunday, would be misleading.

Sheikh Nafez Azzam, a senior Islamic Jihad (Holy War) leader in Gaza, said his movement did not expect anything from the speech that would affect the core Israeli political stance.

"Netanyahu may respond to U.S. President Barack Obama's request for recognizing the principle of the two-state solution, which is not new. But I don't expect him to accept his call for halting settlements in the West Bank," said Azzam.

Netanyahu had earlier stated that his government might stop building new settlements in the West Bank, but his government would consider the natural growth of the existing settlements.

Azzam anticipated that the peace negotiations with the Palestinians would be renewed. "But I do not believe it would lead to a real permanent peace settlement."

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that the speech of Netanyahu "will be misleading to the world's public opinion."

Barhoum called on the international community "not to change its position after listening to Netanyahu's speech, but should consider what his government is planning to do, which might be based on the expansion of settlements."

Palestinian left wing leaders in Gaza had also said that they don't expect anything new in Netanyahu's speech, "except trying to calm down the Americans and deceive them."

"We all anticipated that Netanyahu would stick to his extremist government's policy, which denies the Palestinian people's legitimate rights and keeps expanding settlements," said Saleh Zeidan, member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

(Xinhua News Agency June 14, 2009)