UPDATES

Hamas interview reveals no hint of moderation

Apr 27, 2012 | Ahron Shapiro

Hamas interview reveals no hint of moderation
news_item/marzook.jpg

Give him credit for his candour. In an extensive interview with the Forward published on April 19, Mousa Abu Marzook, Deputy Director of Hamas’ political bureau and the group’s second-highest-ranking official, told the Jewish newspaper that Hamas would not respect a peace treaty with Israel signed by the Palestinian Authority, even if the agreement was endorsed by a referendum of all Palestinians, as Hamas has always demanded.

Moreover, Abu Marzook vowed that Hamas would never recognise Israel. The most Hamas would consider would be a ceasefire agreement, he said.

“We will not recognise Israel as a state. It will be like the relationship between Lebanon and Israel or Syria and Israel.”

Syria and Lebanon of course remain in a formal state of war with Israel, and Syria continues to sponsor terrorism – much of it through Lebanon – against Israel.

For what it’s worth, Abu Marzook refused to frame Hamas’ refusal to accept more than a ceasefire with Israel as a negative. On the contrary, he tried to sell the concept to his interviewer as a vast improvement over the current situation for all concerned.

“Let’s establish a relationship between the two states in the historic Palestinian land as a hudna [ceasefire] between both sides,” he said. “It’s better than war and better than the continuous resistance against the occupation. And better than Israel occupying the West Bank and Gaza, making all these difficulties and problems on both sides.”

The Forward noted that, contrary to some recent news reports, Abu Marzook brought nothing new to the interview to suggest Hamas was in any way moderating its long-standing positions against Israel. The positions outlined by the Hamas official continue to fall far short of the prerequisites demanded by the Mideast Quartet before Hamas will be accepted by the international community as a legitimate negotiating partner.
Meanwhile, one exchange in the interview offered a particular insight into the worldview of someone like Abu Marzook – smart and sophisticated in some ways, yet from a milieu in which extremism and antisemitism is the norm and largely unquestioned. The interviewer asked about the antisemitic elements of Hamas charter and particularly is citation of the notorious antisemitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

As for the Protocols, “The Zionists wrote it, and they said, ‘No, we didn’t.‘ [It’s] linked to Zionists,” he said.

Informed that the document was, in fact, a forgery, Abu Marzook appeared nonplussed. “Really? This is the first time I know [about this],” he said.

In response to the interview, some dovish analysts told the Forward that simply agreeing to be interviewed at length by a Jewish newspaper was a step forward for Hamas. However, David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said it was impossible to ignore the content of Abu Marzook’s message.

Said Makovsky:

“Unfortunately, it’s a validation of those who believe Hamas has a far way to go before it becomes a legitimate Palestinian interlocutor.”

 

The entire report on the interview can be accessed on the Forward‘s website.

Meanwhile, in related news, Hamas has reportedly held a vote in Gaza in an apparent effort to revamp its movement-wide leadership lineup. The vote has been framed as an effort to reconcile an apparent rift between Hamas’ separate leadership structures in Gaza and the diaspora.

This rift moved into the spotlight following the Doha Agreement in February. You will remember that at that time, Hamas’ diaspora leader Khaled Meshaal agreed to the implementation of a unity agreement with the Palestinian Authority, represented by Mahmoud Abbas. The deal was immediately slammed by Hamas’ Gazan leaders and has yet to be implemented.

The latest vote is also seen as a way to resolve an internal conflict within Hamas over whether to continue the organisation’s close operational ties with Iran, or realign itself with the new Egypt or another regional player, like Qatar. Meshaal’s decision to uproot the organisation’s headquarters from Damascus in light of the Syrian unrest is also seen as a factor in the vote, as the movement seeks to unify its direction in the face of rapidly shifting regional developments.

Ahron Shapiro

RELATED ARTICLES


D11a774c 2a47 C987 F4ce 2d642e6d9c8d

Bibi in DC, the Houthi threat and the politicised ICJ opinion

Jul 26, 2024 | Update
Image: Shutterstock

Nine months after Oct. 7: Where Israel stands now

Jul 10, 2024 | Update
Palestinian Red Crescent workers from Al-Najjar Hospital in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip (Image: Shutterstock)

Hamas’ impossible casualty figures

Mar 28, 2024 | Update
455daec3 C2a8 8752 C215 B7bd062c6bbc

After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire for hostages deal

Nov 29, 2023 | Update
Screenshot of Hamas bodycam footage as terrorists approach an Israeli vehicle during the terror organisation's October 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel, released by the IDF and GPO (Screenshot)

Horror on Video / International Law and the Hamas War

Oct 31, 2023 | Update
Sderot, Israel. 7th Oct, 2023. Bodies of dead Israelis lie on the ground following the attacks of Hamas (Image: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/Alamy Live News)

Israel’s Sept. 11, only worse

Oct 11, 2023 | Update

RECENT POSTS

Image: Shutterstock

Fact Sheet: Recent Israeli legislation on UNRWA

Image: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock

The Australian Government refuses to see UNRWA’s terrorism

Image: Konstantin Shishkin/ Shutterstock

A world of two realities

UNRWA headquarters in Gaza (Image: Anas Mohammed/ Shutterstock)

AIJAC statement on passage of Israeli legislation to ban UNRWA

A handout photo from the Iranian Army office shows missiles launching during a military drill in Nasr Abad area, Isfahan province, central Iran (Image: EPA/ Iranian Army Office)

Ring of Fire must be doused

Image: Shutterstock

Fact Sheet: Recent Israeli legislation on UNRWA

Image: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock

The Australian Government refuses to see UNRWA’s terrorism

Image: Konstantin Shishkin/ Shutterstock

A world of two realities

UNRWA headquarters in Gaza (Image: Anas Mohammed/ Shutterstock)

AIJAC statement on passage of Israeli legislation to ban UNRWA

A handout photo from the Iranian Army office shows missiles launching during a military drill in Nasr Abad area, Isfahan province, central Iran (Image: EPA/ Iranian Army Office)

Ring of Fire must be doused

SORT BY TOPICS