By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
A prominent rabbi from a settlement in the West Bank has informed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there can be no real peace in occupied Palestine or the wider Middle East without the involvement of Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian liberation movement.The Rabbi, Menahem Fruman, met with Erdogan in Istanbul a few weeks ago.
Fruman believes that since Hamas more or less represents Islam, there can be no lasting peace between Jews and Muslims without recognizing the central role of Islam in peace-making in the region and the world at large.
The rabbi also believes that since Jews lived a good part of their history under Islam in peace, there is no reason why they can't have the same experience again.
Fruman said he emphasized to Erdogan that all current peace efforts, led by the United States, were doomed to failure since people who really represent the Palestinian people, namely the Hamas movement, were not involved in the process.
Fruman, who lives at the settlement of Tkeou near Bethlehem, added that any peace deal that ignores the centrality of Islam in the region wouldn't succeed in the long run.
"I think Jews have to make peace with Islam first and foremost. Peace with secular forces in the Arab world would lead to nowhere. Only peace with Islam would be genuine and long-lasting."
The rabbi added that Erdogan agreed with him that without the involvement with Hamas in peace talks, the entire peace process would be dubious and fruitless.
Fruman had met with prominent Palestinian leaders such as the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Martyr Ahmed Yasin, the late leader of Hamas, who was murdered by Israel more than 6 years ago.
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