Hamas' Political Impasse: Between Principal and Necessity

Hamas' Political Impasse: Between Principal and NecessityFriday, 10 July 2009 11:50 RamallahOnline

Ramzy Baroud

Much can be said to explain, or even justify Hamas' recent political concessions, where its top leaders in Gaza and Damascus agreed in principle with a political settlement on the basis of the two-state solution.
[ I would call it two stage solution, a stage on the long way for a real one state solution]
On June 25, Damascus-based leader of the Islamic group’s political bureau, Khaled Meshaal reiterated Hamas’ rejection of recognizing Israel as a Jewish State, rightfully dubbing such a designation as “racist, no different from Nazis and other calls denounced by the international community.” However, he did endorse the idea of a two-state solution, which envisages the creation of an independent Palestinian state on roughly 22 percent of the land of historic Palestine.

The announcement was hardly earth shattering, for other Hamas leaders have alluded, or straightforwardly agreed to the same notion in the past. But what was in fact altered is the language used by Hamas’ leaders to endorse the illusive and increasingly unfeasible possibility of two states. Meshaal’s language was largely secular, while past Hamas references to the same principle were engulfed in religious idiom. For example, in past years Hamas agreed to a Palestinian state in all of the occupied territories, conditioned on the removal of Jewish settlements, under the provision of a long-term ‘hudna’, or truce. The term ‘hudna’ is loaded with implicit religious inferences, and was used to present Hamas’ political views as both pragmatic, but also based on time-honored Islamic political tradition.

Ahmed Yousef, chief advisor to the deposed Hamas government in Gaza alluded to the concept of ‘hudna’ in various writings and media interviews. But his calls sounded more like an attempt to find common space between the Islamic movement’s firm religious beliefs and US-led international pressure aimed at forcing Hamas into the same political camp which discredited rival Fatah. But Ahmed Yousef’s variation in rhetoric cannot be understood as synonymous with Meshaal’s recent political revelations.

The boycott of the elected Hamas government in 2006, and the orchestrated violence that led to a Hamas takeover, and subsequent isolation and siege of the Gaza Strip, were all meant to force Hamas to ‘moderate’ its position. Immense collective suffering was endured throughout the Gaza Strip in order for Israel and its backers, including the Palestinian leadership based in the West Bank to force Hamas out of its ideological trenches to join the ‘pragmatic’ camp, which saw little harm in fruitless political compromises.

Hamas’ steadfastness was enough to further demonstrate its revolutionary credence and patriotic credentials to most Palestinians and their supporters around the Middle East and the world. Hamas impressed many, not because of its theological references, but political resilience and refusal to be intimidated. In some way, Hamas achieved the same revolutionary status and recognition as that of Fatah in the 1960’s.
[This comparison is not valid, not fair check my comment on Hamas' political immaturity]
It was not until the Israeli war against largely defenseless Gaza starting December 2008, that Hamas seemed politically self-assured, and for good reason. After all, it was a democratically elected movement representing Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Their rivals’ failure to accommodate the new political reality, and incessant Israeli attempts at destroying the movement and imprisoning scores of its elected parliamentarians were not enough to de-legitimize it. Then Israel unleashed one of its grizzliest campaigns against Palestinians, aimed largely at civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza. The Israeli war was meant to achieve more than the killing of 1,350 (including 437 children) and the wounding of 5,450 others. It was aimed at disturbing the Palestinian psyche that began seeing a world of possibilities beyond the confining and shallow promises of peace infused by the Oslo peace process, which only served to ingrain occupation and entrench illegal settlements.

International solidarity was building up slowly prior to the Israeli attack. As Israeli bombs began raining atop Gaza’s mostly civilian infrastructure, international solidarity exploded throughout the world. Israel’s brutal folly served to legitimize the very group it was meant to crush.
[ check my comment on Palestinian Titanic wtitten by Nadia Hijab - Blood defeated the sword and turned the Magic against the Magicians]

The voices that tirelessly demanded Hamas to live up to fixed conditions, handed down by the so-called Middle East peace quartet, were overshadowed by voices demanding the US and various Western powers to recognize and engage Hamas. A lead voice amongst them is former US President Jimmy Carter, one of the first influential Western personalities to engage Hamas, and to break the news that Hamas “would accept a two-state peace agreement with Israel as long as it was approved by a Palestinian referendum or a newly elected government.” (Guardian, April 22, 2008)

Carter’s insistence on involving Hamas in any future peace arrangement took him from Damascus, to Cairo to the West Bank, then, to Gaza. His recent visit to the Strip on June 16 was more than that of solidarity, but it was aimed at convincing Hamas to agree to the vision of two states and the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. The alternative conditions are meant to present a more dignified exit than the belligerent and one-sided demands of the quartet. It’s unclear whether Hamas would fully embrace his call. But what is clear is that Hamas is sending various signals, such as its willingness to engage in dialogue with the Obama administration, and, again, acceptance of the two-state solution, which according to any reasonable estimation of the Israeli ‘facts on the ground’ created in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, is now a far-fetched possibility.
Needless to say, Hamas as a political movement, with an elected government with some jurisdiction over nearly one-third of the Palestinian people has the right, and even more, the obligation to politically maneuver, reposition and even re-brand itself.

Breaking the siege on Gaza requires steadfastness, true, but political ingenuity as well.

That said, Hamas must be wary of the political, and historic price that will be paid if it fails to learn from the experience of the discredited and corrupted Fatah. Palestinian rights are enshrined in international law, and corroborated by the endless sacrifices of the Palestinian people, in Gaza and elsewhere. Therefore, the price of engagement, dialogue and political validation must not happen at the expense of the Palestinian people wherever they are, as stipulated in numerous UN resolutions including 194, pertaining to the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an author and editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His work has been published in many newspapers, journals and anthologies around the world. His latest book is, "The Second Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle" (Pluto Press, London), and his forthcoming book is, “My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story” (Pluto Press, London)

Hamas: no agreement could be reached without clearing PA prisons

[ 10/07/2009 - 11:29 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Hamas said on Thursday that no agreement could be reached during the forthcoming round of talks in Cairo slated for the 25 July unless PA prisons are cleared of political detainees first and that the 18th July will be decisive date.

These comments were made after a meeting that ended late Thursday evening between Hamas lawmakers in the West Bank and an Egyptian security delegation to discuss ways of furnishing the atmosphere for talks slated for the end of this month.

Dr. Mahmoud al-Ramahi, secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council, told PIC on Friday that four core issues were discussed during the meeting with special emphasis on the political prisoners' issue.

He also said that the Hamas MPs who participated in the meeting besides him were Dr. Aziz Dweik, the PLC speaker, Dr. Omar Abdel Razzaq, Samira Halyka and Abdel Rahman Zeidan and that the Egyptian delegation was headed by General Nuhammad Ibrahim.

Dr. Ramahi added that the Egyptian delegation talked about their mission and the Egyptian efforts to reunite the Palestinian factions, adding that the issues discussed during the two hour meeting were: political detainees, elections, the joint reconciliation committee and the rebuilding of security agencies.

He said that the MPs told the Egyptian delegation that what is happening in the West Bank is not an isolated kidnapping of two or three persons, but a systematic attempt to destroy the resistance and Hamas and pointed out that the Israeli occupation with all its power and terroristic tendencies failed to do that and no one else will succeed in such a mission.

The Egyptian delegation was also told that the PA's actions were in fact making Hamas more popular pointing out that the Beir Zeit university students elections the Islamic Bloc got 20% more votes this year than last year.

Abbas's security rounds up four Hamas supporters
Nasr: The PA leadership in Ramallah is building repressive regime in the W. BankRaja: The PA in Ramallah has no political will to meet with resistance
PRC: Political detainees should be immediately released

Hammad: We are ready to release Fatah criminals to make the dialogue succeed


Out of all above titles in PIC Hamas Basher found Hammad's statement worth reading, though he knows that its nothing more that pulplic relations:


Breaking News.....Breaking News......The "Dialog".....The "Dialog"....BARF!


"COMMENT:

What a sacrifice for the sake of PRINCIPLE! Hamas is willing to free criminals and those, "closely coordinating with the Israeli security departments," all to make the "dialog" succeed!
This is political prostitution.


How can Palestinians take these "leaders" seriously?"
I (TONY) NOMINATE HUWAIDA ARRAF TO BE THE REAL PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT,

She, Huwaida, inspired by "Adam Shapiro" who has done more for Palestine than you (You - not me = A reader who spent 4 years in Israeli Prisons). "And caring for Darfur (even if Zionists have co-opted the cause) does not make one a Zionist. "molly 06.30.09 - 6:56 pm #
Thus said Molly who started the whole thing for Tony, and would jumb to help whenever required.
"Anon, if you don't like it here, you are free not to visit. And other Palestinians and Arabs share his view that the only possible solution is a one state solution such as Ali Abunimah, As'ad Abu Khalil, etc.
They don't want most Israelis on the future state either but have figured that when that happens most Jews will leave anyway. "
[ SO RELAX, "most Israelis.... when that happens most Jews will leave anyway". It's going to happen, thus said Zolly. TONY And "other Palestinians and Arabs" such as "Ali Abunimah, As'ad Abu Khalil, etc. shall force Nazi, racist Israelis to accept "the only possible solution" which "is a one state solution" ]
"The only ones who will stay are the ones that don't mind living with Arabs and the psycho-settler types, who will probably be killed pretty quickly. "
[Why to kill them if they are leaving? and if they don't who is going to kill them "Prety quickly"?]
Oh, and the reason he refers to Arabs as sheep is probably because those are his brothers who have let him down, which is even more infuriating than when your enemies have hurt you.
"He doesn't have to refer to Zionists as sheep, their behavior as shown in the articles he posts daily speaks for itself as much worse. "
[Zionists are the "Chosen" he refers to arab as cheep, because Arabs are goyem, sub-humans created in human form]
If Tony was measuring his words to be PC, I don't think he would have voiced support for the Afghan resistance/Taliban and many other fighters the US attacks.
[They are fighting US, not the "Chosen"]
Either you are a brand new reader of the blog, or you are being dishonest. I don't mean to speak for him, this is just my opinion.
[ Besides we are good happy secular family]
molly 07.09.09 - 9:31 pm #
Finally, Hamas bashers are more dangerous than Abbas, they mocked Hamas and ignored Hamas's red line for accepting the two state solution,
Its Hamas, who by resistance gave momentum to the International solidarity movement, may pave the way for an independent state on 1967 land as a stage on the long way towards one state solution.