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What is Hamas? - It depends on who you ask and how you ask it?.. * What is Hamas? - Hamas Covenant 1988: "Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam" palestinefacts.org "uses antiquated European anti-Semitic terminology to describe the Jews and Israel and expects to fully eliminate them from the Middle East by violent means.. in many ways Hamas behaves - unlike the leadership of the PA - as if the state of Israel does not exist, or as if Israel's existence is merely a temporary episode to be disregarded because it will one day soon pass from the scene" - Islamic Palestine = Liberated Palestine? Ezzedeen AL-Qassam Brigades Information Office Palestine "armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Linguistically, in Arabic 'Ezz' means support, adherence, or pride, and 'Deen' means religion. Al-Qassam can be translated into the breaker or divider. Historically, Ezzedeen Al-Qassam is the name of a pioneer mujahid who was martyred in 1935 near Jenin.. spirit of Jihad (resistance).. liberation of Palestinian land.. The Message of Resistance to the world" * For more definition, see 'Israel' - Hamas ... Hamas's recognition of Israel is not the only key to peace "[Palestinian Authority] Hamas triumph.. It is right to insist on Hamas recognition of Israel, however futile the demand. But more could be done to convince Palestinians that such recognition would bring a reward. The danger is that the focus on Hamas will allow Israel to pursue a one-sided agenda, based purely on its own security concerns, that will leave the conflict to smoulder indefinitely" Financial Times Jerusalem correspondent Harvey Morris / RedPolitix Mar06 Why We Cannot Talk With Hamas "Hamas recognizes Israel de facto: unlike many Arab states in the past that officially referred to Israel as 'the Zionist entity,' Hamas mentions Israel by name in its notorious charter; but it does deny Israel's right to exist, its existence de jure. Is this a good reason not to talk to Hamas? Hardly. Hamas' non-recognition may be stupid, childish, and unrealistic: no one really believes Israel will disappear in any foreseeable future, or that non-recognition makes any difference. On the other hand, Israel's apparent insistence on this issue is just as silly, childish, and unrealistic, and for the same reason. If Hamas had the power to annihilate Israel, it would have done so with or without recognizing it first" antiwar.com Apr06 Hamas takes step towards recognition of Israel "bowed to the combination of an ultimatum from the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, & relentless international pressure last night by committing itself for the first time to a two-state solution of the conflict with Israel" Independent Jun06 Hamas: No Recognition of Israel Honest Reporting Jun06 Hamas, the Arab Peace Initiative and reality MideastWeb Jul06 Abbas recognition of Israel 'political calculation' "Fatah member explains PA president's ultimate goal to destroy Jewish state" WorldNetDaily Oct06 U.S. preparing Abbas guard to take on Hamas "for a potential violent confrontation.. in the Gaza Strip.. $2M.. sanctions against Hamas will inevitably result in a violent confrontation between Hamas and Fatah.. they would prefer to strengthen the 'good guys'" haaretz.com Oct06 Ismail Haniyeh considers resigning his post "'When the issue of the siege is on one side, and my being prime minister is on the other, let the siege be lifted to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,' he said, referring to the international aid boycott that has devastated the Palestinian economy.. weeks of up-and-down negotiations have repeatedly failed to yield results, and a fresh breakdown in talks appeared possible. The international community, including the United States, has said it will not lift sanctions unless Hamas recognizes Israel, renounces violence and accepts past peace deals, something Hamas has so far refused to do. The program of the proposed new unity government is vague on the key issue of recognizing Israel, calling for a Palestinian state on only the lands captured by Israel in 1967" & Hamas to Muslims: Attack US targets "after an apparent misfiring of an IDF artillery shell in the Gaza Strip" jpost.com Nov06 Israel to Let Abbas Deploy Own Force "request to redeploy the 1,000-strong Jordan-based Badr Brigade.. Hamas has created its own Gaza militia - dubbed the 'Executive Force' and comprising 6,000 men - saying it is only for improving security in Gaza. Yet the buildup has stirred concern that a full-blown Hamas-Fatah showdown is imminent.. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the cease-fire and a statement from the Hamas movement that it would accept the 1967 borders of a Palestinian state offered 'potential hope'" arabnews.com 29Nov06 Ahmadinejad to Haniyeh: Do not recognize Israel, continue fighting it "Haniyeh, on a four-day visit to one of the strongest backers of his Hamas government, thanked Iran for its support and vowed not to cede to Western demands that it renounce violence, recognize existing interim peace accords and recognize the Jewish state" haaretz.com 9Dec06 Abbas Ponders Call For Early Elections: Aim Is to End Crisis; Hamas Opposed Washington Post 10Dec06 Gunmen Shoot at Minister's Convoy in Gaza "Unidentified gunmen shot at a convoy of Palestinian interior minister in the Gaza Strip yesterday as Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh criticized a decision of President Mahmoud Abbas to call early elections and said it would lead to chaos. Interior Minister Saeed Seyam, a senior Hamas leader, escaped unharmed.. shooting 'a result of the latest inflammatory statements against the government'.. Haniyeh.. said early elections would lead to violence. 'The proposal... about holding early elections is the start of the creation of disorder in Palestine'" arabnews.com 11Dec06 & Gunmen Kill Children "of a senior intelligence officer in a drive-by shooting.. Bahaa Baloushe.. the Mokhabarat, or intelligence service, which is loyal to the Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas, blamed the rival group Hamas.. Baloushe, a Fatah member, had been a leading interrogator of Hamas activists a decade ago.. The Interior Ministry promised a speedy investigation" 12Dec06 Hamas deploys gunmen in Gaza as rift intensifies "attempt to assassinate Haniyeh.. edging closer to civil war. The latest round of Hamas-Fatah fighting erupted Monday with the brutal killing of the three small children of a Fatah security official [propaganda slant: these were not the first shots, and early reports of tinted glass on official car having disguised occupants].. Hamas has refused to meet the conditions for lifting an economic boycott imposed by the international community in the wake of its January election win, namely recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting previously signed interim peace agreements" haaretz.com 15Dec06 UNHCR Appeals to Countries to Provide Humanitarian Solution for Palestinians Fleeing Iraq "..to the international community and governments to offer refuge for Palestinians. It has appealed to Israel to allow for admission into the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and asked neighbouring Arab states to keep their doors open" WAFA 14Dec06 "Zvi Bar'el: Israel may secretly want Hamas to win again" A truce without a partner is preferable "What is going on is that there is a violent struggle raging for political control. A struggle in which a movement that won elections according to rules of the game set by the Palestinian constitution, America's aspirations and Israel's willingness is being asked to concede to the movement that lost. What is happening is that this movement, Hamas, is even prepared to concede in the domestic political arena, on condition that the concession is reasonable and honorable. If the demand is for Hamas to give up the position of prime minister, at least key portfolios should remain in its hands. Temporarily, it is shelving its radical religious ideology. Perhaps Hamas will pull this out when new elections are held, and it wins again in a big way, and on condition that it is then left to run the Palestinian state." haaretz.com 18Dec06 US Senators Kerry And Dodd In Syria For Talks On Iraq "Syria has influence with Iraq's Sunnis.. regards the radical Palestinian groups as legitimate opponents of the Israeli occupation of their lands" palpress.ps 19Dec06 & Egypt transfers arms to PA with Israeli approval 28Dec |
Hamas Official Accepts Israel But Stops Short Of Recognition "Mr Meshal softened his anti-Israel rhetoric, suggesting that Hamas does not seek the destruction of Israel as written in its charter. He said that Israel is a 'reality' and 'there will remain a state called Israel - this is a matter of fact'. He added: 'The problem is not that there is an entity called Israel. The problem is that the Palestinian state is non-existent.'" Damascus MENS/Scoop 12Jan07 +
Hamas is not recognizing Israel and there is no Santa Claus ZioNation Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman told Rice that there is a confrontation in Gaza "'just a matter of time. If Israel went into the Gaza Strip on a military operation, the result would be the stationing of 30,000 NATO troops in the Strip to keep the quiet'" alqassam.ps 14Jan07 Haniyeh: Rice vision 'perilous' to ME "Arab officials.. would propose to Rice a broad bargain dubbed 'Iraq for Land'.. the deal reflected widespread Arab feeling that a lasting Middle East peace was impossible unless Israel made territorial concessions to Syria, the Palestinians and Lebanon.. if a unity government is formed in the PA, it would only gain international recognition and legitimacy were it to accept the Quartet's three criteria: recognizing Israel, forswearing terrorism and accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements" jpost.com 15Jan07 IDF objects to U.S. plans to give Abbas' forces battle equipment "'liable to wind up in the wrong hands and be used for terrorism'.. Defense Ministry would make the final decision.. Israel hopes to release nearly $100 million in withheld Palestinian Authority tax revenues to Abbas by Friday.. long- overdue salary payments to Palestinian public sector workers, hard hit by a Western and an Israeli embargo of the Hamas-led government. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been under U.S. pressure to take steps to strengthen Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas.. Abbas.. met.. Rice in the West Bank city of Ramallah.. asked Washington to intervene" & Rice announces Quartet will hold meeting in early February "would bring Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas together for informal talks on how to set up a Palestinian state.. Several European countries, including Germany, are keen to get the Quartet - the United States, United Nations, Russia and European Union - more involved in the stalled peace process.. Bush, in his speech this month unveiling a revised Iraq strategy in which he said he was sending 20,000 more troops to stabilise Iraq, ignored recommendations by a U.S. study group to engage Syria and Tehran. The United States has repeatedly accused Syria and Shi'ite Iran of meddling in Iraq, where the long- oppressed Shi'ite majority is now in power and sectarian violence is raging. Tehran and Damascus deny U.S. charges. During her 5-day trip to the Middle East which took her through to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Rice won support from Arab allies for U.S. plans to deploy additional troops to stabilize Iraq. Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab countries also voiced fears the new plan could eventually lead to an early departure of U.S. troops, leaving sectarian violence to spill across their borders. Saudi Arabia said success mainly depended on the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government's ability to stem violence and disband Shi'ite militias blamed for sectarian killings" haaretz.com 17Jan07 & Army of Islam: IDF soldier Shalit held exclusively by Hamas "talks in Damascus on setting up a Palestinian national unity government have ended without results.. broke up over the powers that PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas was to grant the next prime minister in his letter of appointment, and over who the next interior minister would be" 18Jan Burning Issues No. 21: Is the road map still relevant? "the simple, obvious, known-to-all truth is that Abbas is incapable of meeting the basic road map requirement of stopping Palestinian violence, while Israel is unwilling to meet the basic road map requirement of stopping settlement expansion and tearing down outposts. That's been the story since the road map was unveiled nearly four years ago. It was dead on arrival" jpost.com 17Jan & Palestinians launch on-line resistance Eng-websites 18Jan07 Abbas says meeting with Meshal 'fruitful' "Hamas and Fatah officials confirmed Sunday that Abbas and Meshal would meet, following Syrian intervention to ensure that the meeting would go ahead.. postponed after officials failed to reconcile differences over a unity government and how it would deal with key Western demands.. Abbas warned.. 'Either there will be a unity government or there will be elections'" haaretz.com 22Jan07 Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warns Abbas against striking deal with Hamas "reach a compromise with Hamas, that would send the diplomatic process into a deep freeze. 'Compromising with extremists will not promote anything, but it can lead to further stagnation'.. World Economic Forum in Davos.. Any Palestinian government, he said, must accept previously signed agreements.. desire for a two-state solution, but disagreements.. on the subjects of borders and the Palestinian refugees.. Livni said that under any deal, the refugees should be resettled in the Palestinian state.. will be the national homeland of all Palestinians.. the only appropriate solution for resettling them.. borders must be the result of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Any Palestinian state must also recognize Israel's right to exist and renounce terror.. Vice Premier Shimon Peres.. announced a trilateral Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian agreement to develop a joint economic zone in a 500-square-kilometer region of their mutual border, and urged all those attending the WEF to invest there.. Israel and the Palestinians have also agreed to establish a joint, $25 million venture capital fund that will invest in technology projects in Israel and the PA" haaretz.com 26Jan07 An eye for an eye in Gaza "Those whom we have caught say they were promised jobs and higher ranks if they targeted Hamas members; and all of these acts are carried out with the complicity of higher-level Fatah members. No matter what, they shouldn't promise them such things. It's all in the context of obfuscating the truth. Their ultimate goal is to create enough chaos so as to overthrow the government in any way possible; they even tried to target and shoot at government members" aljazeera.net 26Jan07 Gaza death toll reaches 24 as Hamas-Fatah talks fail "incidents began on Thursday night, following the death of a Hamas militant who was killed in a car bomb in the Jabalya refugee camp.. Both Fatah and Hamas announced that they were cancelling talks.. " haaretz.com 28Jan07 & Fatah scores its first victories in clashes with Hamas "During the weekend, Hamas lost more of its people" .. Egypt succeeds where Saudi Arabia failed, brokering firm ceasefire .. BritMPs decide isolation of Hamas was a mistake, pushed closer to Iran .. bloodshed escalates .. Saudi Arabia succeeds where Egypt failed .. Hamas and Fatah sign deal in Mecca / "Islamic Jihad to support new PA gov't ..agreement does not require the unity government to explicitly recognize Israel's right to exist or Hamas to renounce violence.. US government would continue to boycott Hamas ministers" & 'Abbas's top concern is avoiding civil war, not compliance' "'informal paper'.. implicitly included in acceptance of the 1993 exchange of letters of recognition between Israel and the PLO.. however, stipulated that the factions in the unity government would not be bound by its commitments" jpost.com 9Feb07 Hamas shuns Al-Qaida's support "movement has its own platform" jpost.com 26Jun07 ... Gaza Under Attack From A Swarm Of Drones "There is a distinct Israeli pressure on the Palestine Authority and Hamas not to unify, and not to seek recognition of a Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly in September - they have only given the Palestine Authority 50% of the money for salaries for public servants, so they are creating an explosive situation that Israel can then use to justify attacking, arresting, and doing whatever they please to Palestinians.." scoop.co.nz 19Jul11 ... Oct-Nov 2012 war events Gaza-Israel conflict Wikipedia - Has Israel Learned The Lessons Of Operation Cast Lead? ZNet 'Palestine' Becomes UN Observer State Voice of America 30Nov12 Israeli settlement plan, retaliation for defeat in Gaza: Iran MP presstv Dec12 & EU 'deeply dismayed' by Israeli settlements ynetnews & Israel says will stick with settlement plan despite condemnation reuters New Palestinian group declares 3rd Intifada "Masked men belonging to various Palestinian factions announced in Hebron on Saturday the establishment of the Brigades of National Unity and the beginning of a third intifada against Israel. In a video posted on several Palestinian websites, a spokesman for the new group said it consisted of members of Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The spokesman said that although his group backed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's statehood bid at the UN, 'We will not give up one inch of the land of Palestine, from the river to the sea.' He said the group would 'pursue our struggle until we expel the occupation and liberate all Palestine.' The spokesman said that the new group had decided to launch the third intifada 'from the heart of Hebron so that it could extend to all Palestine.' The spokesman also threatened to kidnap IDF soldiers and kill Israelis if Israel arrested or killed Palestinians." Jerusalem Post 15Dec12 |