Is Anyone Listening?

The following statements made by Hamas officialdom spells out without any misunderstading, their position vis a vis the conflict with Israel. Is anyone really listening and taking note?

The position of the Palestinian Authority is very weak and it is foreseeable that in the not too distant future Hamas could take control of the West Bank. Abbas currently relies on the Israel forces to keep Hamas in check in the West Bank.

And even if an agreement with the PA was finalised, would Hamas, if they came to power, honour the agreement?? Unlikely.

Hamas' Position (with thanks to the The Meir Amit Intelligence and TerrorismInformation Center)

Khalil al-Hayeh, a member of Hamas' political bureau, was strongly critical of Mahmoud Abbas' application the UN and of the Palestinian Authority for preventing terrorist activity on its territory. He also denied that Hamas had removed its offices from Syria and called on the Syrian regime to make haste and carry out reforms in response to the demands of the Syrian people. His main points were the following (from a program organized by the Palestinian Journalists' Forum and called "Political Bulletin," alresalah.net website, October 6, 2011):

• Mahmoud Abbas' application to the UN endangers the future of the PLO, which represents the Palestinian refugees, and their future. That is because recognition of a Palestinian state might lead to the cancellation of the refugees' "right" to their land. He said that "we agree with everything that harms the occupation and defines it as criminal, but this step incurs many risks..."

• A "program of stages" for confronting Israel is the basis for the internal Palestinian reconciliation: However, Mahmoud Abbas, he said, did not honor the "program of stages" which was the foundation for the internal Palestinian reconciliation. He said that there was "a national program of stages based on accepting a state with the 1967 borders, as well as the right of return, defending the Palestinian people and not recognizing the legitimacy of the occupier state [i.e., Israel]. It is the minimal program agreed on, because according to Hamas' program the land of Palestinian reaches from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river. We do not agree to legitimizing the occupation on one inch of that land."

• "The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades work to carry out suicide bombings within Israel, but the security coordination [between Israel and the Palestinian Authority] prevents them." He added that "the resistance [i.e., the terrorist organizations] in the Gaza Strip is protected, as opposed to the West Bank, where it is persecuted by the [Palestinian] Authority's security forces and the [Israeli] occupation."

• The internal Palestinian reconciliation: Al-Hayeh appealed to Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah to again meet with Hamas again under Egyptian or other Arab aegis to discuss the Palestinian cause. He said Hamas did not fear elections but would not agree to them "before the internal Palestinian reconciliation has been achieved."