Hamas Leaders: Never stop Resistance, Never give up Palestine

The victory of the Hamas in the Palestinian elections has heightened both curiosity and apprehension about this organization. The Hamas Charter is is quite clear not only about the destruction of Israel, but about the destruction of the Jews at judgment day. Their most liberal spokesperson and thinker, Azzam Tamimi rejects the reliance of the charter on the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and the most obviously racist aspects of the charter, but takes for granter the destruction of Israel. In the post-Israel Middle East of the Hamas, according to him, the Jews will "enjoy" the traditional rights of Jews under Islam. That is, they will be a second class stateless minority, treaty as dhimmi - inferiors.

In practical terms, Hamas spokespersons provide a consistent line. In separate interviews on Al-Jazeera TV and ANB TV, Hamas spokesmen Khaled Masha'al and Osama Hamdan make it perfectly clear that they are dead set on the eradication of Israel.

Hamdan says frankly:

In politics, there are sometimes efforts to use the term "eradication of a country" in order to show us that this is not possible, and that this term incites the world against us. We discuss this issue in a logical manner, and we want a clear response. This land is either Palestinian or not. If it is Palestinian land, it must remain Palestinian and must return to Palestinian hands. If it is not Palestinian land - it has nothing to do with us. If I ask whether Nazareth, Acre, the Galilee, Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla and Beersheba are Palestinian or not - if the answer is that they are, these lands must be liberated.

Masha'al says:

As for recognizing [Israel] and amending our charter - Hamas is not the kind of movement that succumbs to pressure. The occupation has no legitimacy. We will not recognize it, no matter how much time passes. We will never recognize the occupation as legitimate, and we will not give up on our rights. However, we are realistic, and we know things are done gradually, in stages."

Where is this occupation?

The map of Palestine, for any Hamas member and for any Palestinian, is the well-known Palestinian map, just like any European or American - if you ask him about his country's map, he says to you: 'My country's map is this and that...' When they bring us someone from Europe or America who is willing to give up his country's map, and accepts a distorted map - come back to us then.

Given these views, the statement of the Hamas Charter that negotiations are a waste of time is certainly justified. Of course, everyone should keep in mind that at the Khartoum conference in 1968, the Arab states set forth the famous three "nos" - no to negotiations, no to recognition of Israel, and no to peace. The PLO and Fateh were equally adamant about "liberating" Palestine - all of it. Two of the signatories of the Khartoum resolutions have peace treaties with Israel, and the PLO-Fateh came within a sneeze of signing a peace treaty.

Change is not impossible, but it would take time and correct education. Given the type of education system that the Hamas is likely to institute in the Palestinian territories, it is hardly to be expected that time alone. will mellow their views or those of the Palestinians.

Nobody should mistake the gravity of the situation facing both Israel and the Palestinians. There is no point in fooling ourselves with platitudes concerning revolutionaries who mellow with the responsibilities of government, or religious fanatics who do not mean what they say. The same nostrums were prescribed for the victory of the NSDAP in Germany, and for the Islamist revolution in Iran. The NSDAP indeed changed with the responsibilities of leadership. From disorganized hoodlums terrorizing people in street brawls, they became a nation of organized thugs, terrorizing half of Europe in a world war. The graduated from beating Jews and communists to genocide. The Iranian revolution, despite some false signs of hope a few years ago, shows no signs of abating its fury after 25 years, especially toward Jews, Israel and the United States.

Recognizing the danger is one thing. Understanding what to do about it, is a quite different problem.

Ami Isseroff

Above commentary copyright 2005 and 2006 by Ami Isseroff. Please forward this article to friends by email, with this URL - http://www.zionism.netfirms.com/mashaal.html May not be reproduced in any other form without permission. Write to zio-web-owner@yahoogroups.com

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al Presents Hamas Plan on Al-Jazeera TV:

MEMRI Special Dispatch - Palestinian Authority
January 31, 2006
No. 1081

January 31, 2006 No. 1081

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al Presents Hamas Plan on Al-Jazeera TV: "We are Committed to... the Resistance and Adhere to its Weapons... As for Recognizing [ Israel] and Amending Our Charter - Hamas is Not the Kind of Movement That Succumbs to Pressure... We Will Not Recognize it, No Matter how Much Time Passes... We Believe in Acting According to Stages..."

The following are excerpts from an address by Hamas leader Khaled Mash'al at a press conference that aired January 29, 2006 on Al-Jazeera TV.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1013 .

TO VIEW OTHER CLIPS ON HAMAS VISIT http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=151 .

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al: "Some people believe it is impossible to combine resistance with politics. As long as we are an occupied people, resistance is our natural right."

[...]

"I say to the American administration, to the Europeans, and the international community, which make all these demands, like stopping the resistance - or stopping 'terrorism,' as they call it - and to disarm... I say to them: If you have a problem with the factions' weapons, we are prepared to unite the Palestinian weapons based on Palestinian understandings, and to form an army, like any other country, even though our country is not yet independent. We will form an army like all independent countries. We will conduct reforms within our society, with democracy, pluralism, with partnership, and clean administration, which are the slogans of international and Western society, and at the same time, we will have an army, which will protect our people from aggression and will strive to recapture Palestinian rights. Other countries have this, so why should the Palestinians be deprived of this? There is no contradiction between the two. As for the PLO, as I have said, for some time we have been striving to rebuild the organization. We will move faster, reach understandings with our brothers in the PLO. We are all convinced of the need to reform and revive the PLO, so it can become a Palestinian home for all, and a source of authority, in and out of [the Palestinian territories]."

[...]

"The Palestinian people has chosen Hamas with its known stances. If America wants to negotiate with Hamas - it is most welcome, but based on the positions for which the people chose us. If Europe wants to negotiate with Hamas - it is most welcome, but based on the choice of the Palestinian people. However, they must not impose conditions on us. Our internal affairs must not be subject to extortion and external pressure."

[...]

"The Legislative Council is one of the Oslo Accords' political frameworks, but the Oslo plan is over. It is no longer effective, and no one follows it anymore, and I don't think our people will accept the revival of Oslo, after it has been buried and eulogized by all."

[...]

"We will not accept any formula that undermines some or all of our rights. In other words, we are committed to the liberation of the land and to Jerusalem. We will not agree to any kind of disregard [of our right] to Jerusalem. We are more committed to Jerusalem than Sharon and the enemy leaders. We are committed to the right of return and to our rejection of the settlements. We are committed to the resistance and adhere to its weapons. These are our choices and our fundamental principles, which the Palestinian people supported even before the elections. In the elections, I believe, the Palestinian people clearly demonstrated this support, in a democratic manner. No one should accuse us of being out of line or singing out of tune. There are internal Palestinian agreements. True, the Palestinian Authority was founded on the basis of the Oslo Accords. We recognize that this is a reality, and we will deal with it with the utmost realism, but without neglecting our fundamental principles and our rights. We will honor any agreement or commitment, as long as they benefit our people and do not infringe upon its rights. In other words, we will honor our Palestinian commitments, provided they serve our people and do not infringe upon its rights, and we will not accept dictates. This is, very clearly, our position. We are capable of maintaining this position, despite all the pressure. As for recognizing [Israel] and amending our charter - Hamas is not the kind of movement that succumbs to pressure. The occupation has no legitimacy. We will not recognize it, no matter how much time passes. We will never recognize the occupation as legitimate, and we will not give up on our rights. However, we are realistic, and we know things are done gradually, in stages."

[...]

" America may not recognize a certain country, yet it succumbs to reality. Today we, the Palestinians, do not recognize the legitimacy of the occupation, but this does not mean I want to abolish Israel in a matter of moments. I have a plan of commitment to my land and my rights."

[...]

"Succumbing to the will and pressure of others is unacceptable, but by our own decision, we can either calm or escalate the situation, depending on what is required at each stage. But if anyone expects Hamas to agree to take steps that it would not agree to in the past, I say clearly, brothers and sisters: We will not withdraw from our fundamental principles, from our rights and our strategic goals. The map of Palestine, for any Hamas member and for any Palestinian, is the well-known Palestinian map, just like any European or American - if you ask him about his country's map, he says to you: 'My country's map is this and that...' When they bring us someone from Europe or America who is willing to give up his country's map, and accepts a distorted map - come back to us then. The Palestinian rights remain intact. But we believe in acting according to stages, gradually and realistically, and we have the ability to obtain our rights, step by step. We will establish our state on any piece of land we liberate, providing we have real sovereignty over this land, Allah willing."

[...]

"Our presence in the Legislative Council and in the Palestinian political system will strengthen and protect the resistance, and not harm it. I do not agree that there is a dispute over the resistance. Resistance, in all monotheistic religions, and in international laws and conventions, is the right of any people subject to occupation."

[...]

"If people raise the issue of targeting civilians - we have said and we continue to say that when our enemy stops targeting civilians, we will make the same commitment. Ten years ago, we made such an initiative, but Israel rejected it. That is why we must respond in kind. Resistance will remain a possible option, which enjoys international consent."

[...]

"There is a difference between regarding the period of calm as divergence from the resistance - which will never happen - and regarding the period of calm as one of the tactics of the resistance."

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan, which aired on ANB TV on January 25, 2006.

TO VIEW OTHER CLIPS ON HAMAS VISIT http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=151 .

*Clip #1012 - Hamas Representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan: Hamas Will Never Condemn, Stop, or Obstruct the Resistance, and Will Never Give Up Its Weapons

1/26/06

Osama Hamdan: In politics, there are sometimes efforts to use the term "eradication of a country" in order to show us that this is not possible, and that this term incites the world against us. We discuss this issue in a logical manner, and we want a clear response. This land is either Palestinian or not. If it is Palestinian land, it must remain Palestinian and must return to Palestinian hands. If it is not Palestinian land - it has nothing to do with us. If I ask whether Nazareth, Acre, the Galilee, Haifa, Jaffa, Lod, Ramla and Beersheba are Palestinian or not - if the answer is that they are, these lands must be liberated. This must be clear. Whoever says that these lands are not Palestinian - that's his problem. We in the Hamas movement - and the entire Palestinian people, I believe are convinced that the land is Palestinian. Another issue... We are not talking here about aggression. We are talking about defense. We are defending ourselves. An occupier came and took our land, and we cannot simply accept this. But we want to emphasize clearly that we will never say that we agree to recognize this usurping entity on part of our land, no matter how small, so how could we possibly accept it on three quarters of Palestine? . We do not love war or fighting, but we are prepared to sacrifice for the sake of our future. Therefore, let nobody imagine or delude himself for one moment that Hamas might condemn or obstruct any resistance against the occupation, under any circumstances.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1012

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Hamas Leaders: Never stop Resistance, Never give up Palestine

Hamas Leaders: Never stop Resistance, Never give up Palestine

Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al Presents Hamas Plan on Al-Jazeera TV:

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan, which aired on ANB TV on January 25, 2006.

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