Hamas TV resists calls to pull 'Mickey Mouse' show

A Hamas-run TV station has resisted a call from Palestinian authorities to suspend a children's show in which a Mickey Mouse lookalike urges young viewers to seek global Islamic domination.

Mustafa Barghouti, the Information Minister, said the "politically oriented" adaptation of the Disney character represents a "mistaken approach" to the "Palestinians' legitimate struggle against the [Israeli] occupation".

The character on the Faraj al Aqsa channel is named "Farfour" or "butterfly" but delivers strong messages against Israel and the US in a high-pitched squeak when the programme, Tomorrow's Pioneers, airs each Friday. "You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," Farfour told viewers in one episode. "We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness."

Mr Barghouti, who had earlier said the show had been pulled at his request, then praised the station for its co-operation in agreeing to suspend the programme. Hazem Sharawi, the station's deputy director, said last night that there was "no decision" to shut down the programme.

* Plans have been drawn up to build 20,000 homes for Jews in settlements in Arab East Jerusalem, which the international community sees as a violation international law. The Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the plan "destroys the efforts exerted to revive the peace process. The Israeli government must choose between settlements and peace. They cannot have both."