The Hamas Hudna Hoodwink
Hamas double-speak on the definition of
‘occupied territory’ as al-Zahar sets demands for ‘truce’
By Steve Schippert
Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar, has
declared Hamas’ demands of Israel and offered them up to
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer accompanied in conjunction with ‘hudna’, or
truce. Key to his demands were Israel withdrawing from ‘the
occupied areas’ and returning to the pre-1967 borders. But
while al-Zahar spoke Sunday of ‘hudna’ from Gaza City, Hamas’
Damascus leadership spoke of resistance and offered a
differing definition of ‘occupied territory’, one in line with
the
actual Hamas founding charter.
Al-Zahar refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist,
claiming that Hamas would decide that issue once they met his
demands as set forth. Those demands include “to release our
detainees; to stop their aggression; to make geographic link
between Gaza Strip and West Bank”.
The substance of the above demands aside, the true insight
into the subject offered by Hamas came with the qualifier that
followed the demands, as al-Zahar concluded, “at that time,
with assurance from other sides, we are going to accept to
establish our independent state at that time, and give us one
or two, 10, 15 years time in order to see what is the real
intention of Israel after that.”
In short, if Israel releases all of its prisoners (not
happening, as many are held on direct charges of acts of
terrorism), pulls out of the West Bank entirely (including all
settlements), ceases all operations (presumably including
future operations in reaction to attacks by any other
Palestinian-based terror group not recognizing a Hamas hudna),
and gives them an additional swath of land from Israel proper
in the Negev Desert that links Gaza and the West Bank, then
Hamas will think about reconsidering their recognition of
Israel.
This is not a proposal for peace. It is a non-sequitur.
[Read on
here.]
