israel will do all in its power to prevent a unity government.
love and peace to all,
marty
marty
-----Original Message-----
From: Ulhas Joglekar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, 14 May 2006 16:25:36 +0500
Subject: [PEN-L] Hamas gives mixed signals on Israel
BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/ Last Updated: Friday, 12 May 2006 Hamas gives mixed signals on Israel http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4765897.stm By Roger Hardy BBC Middle East Analyst A senior figure in the militant Islamic group Hamas has said it and its long-standing rival Fatah should unite to fight Israel. But at the same time prominent members of the two groups have produced a document - from their Israeli prison cells - which implicitly recognises Israel's right to exist. The contrast could scarcely be greater. Speaking at a conference in the Gulf, Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal said Hamas and Fatah should unite, not in recognising Israel, but in liberating Palestine through what he called the "path of jihad". (KEY QUOTE 1 [The Palestinians] are seeking to liberate their land and gain their rights... These include their right to establish an independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital on all the territories occupied in 1967) Meanwhile a document appeared - hammered out by Hamas and Fatah members serving time in Israeli jails - which said Palestinians should work to establish a state in the territories that Israel has occupied since 1967. This is the formula that Fatah has long accepted and Hamas has long opposed. 'Two states' It also said "resistance" should be limited to the occupied territories, thus by implication excluding attacks on Israel itself. The document was signed by five factions, including Islamic Jihad, which expressed reservations - a potentially ominous sign since it is not a party to the ceasefire which Hamas has largely maintained for over a year. (KEY QUOTE 2 [Signatories commit to adhere] to the option of resistance through various means, and confining resistance in the territories occupied in 1967, in addition to political, negotiating and diplomatic action ) The two main signatories, however, were the Fatah leader in the West Bank, Marwan Barghouti, and a well-known Hamas figure, Abdel-Khaliq al-Natsheh. The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, was quick to welcome the document - while the response from Hamas has been guarded. Since its victory in elections in January, Hamas has been ambiguous about whether it will or won't recognise Israel. It is split between pragmatists who are ready to accept a two-state solution under certain conditions, and hardliners like Mr Meshaal, who is based outside the Palestinian territories in the Syrian capital, Damascus. But the movement is under such severe international pressure that ambiguity may no longer be an option. A planned "national dialogue" later this month is designed to produce a common platform and pave the way for a government of national unity. That won't be easy to achieve. But if the Hamas-led government is to survive, it may be its only viable political strategy.
