According to Reports: Has Hamas Really Changed? Can It?

In his weekly Canadian Jewish News media analysis column “According to Reports,” Paul Michaels, CIC Director of Communications, disputes recent reports that contend Hamas is moderating its position.

From time to time reports appear in the media indicating that Hamas is in the midst of moderating its rejectionist stand against Israel.

For instance, in the Jan. 4 issue of Maclean’s, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy was interviewed by Yoni Goldstein who asked whether Israel should negotiate with that organization. Halevy answered: “What we need to do is to bring Hamas to a point where it will understand that it is in its interest to reach an accommodation with Israel. And I believe they are on the way.”

When Goldstein asked for the evidence to back up his judgment, Halevy replied: “First of all, Hamas’s leader, Khaled Meshal, is on the record as saying that he is willing to accept the borders of 1967 as the provisional borders of a Palestinian state. He is not relinquishing the ultimate dream that he will control all of Palestine. But he says that, for the moment, he will accept the 1967 borders. That brings him toward the position where he is accepting the reality of Israel.”

In “The Transformation of Hamas” (the Nation, Jan. 25), Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, argued the same position at length and in fact commended Halevy for acknowledging Hamas’ pragmatic turn.

“Although on the whole, Hamas’ public rhetoric calls for the liberation of all of historic Palestine, not only the territories occupied in 1967, a healthy debate has grown both within and without,” wrote Gerges, insisting that Hamas is not monolithic and is searching for a path to accommodation with Israel. Indeed, Gerges writes boldly of “Hamas’ shift toward the peace process.”

If all this lofty rhetoric sounds too good to be true, could that be because it isn’t true?

Even Gerges had to raise the obvious sceptical query: “Observers might ask, if Hamas is so eager to accept a two-state solution, why doesn’t it simply accept the three conditions for engagement required by the so-called diplomatic Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations): recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence and acceptance of all previous agreements (primarily, the Oslo Accords)?”

Gerges’ answer is revealing: “In my interviews with Hamas officials, they stress that while they have made significant concessions to the Quartet, it has not lifted the punishing sanctions against Hamas, nor has it pressed Israel to end its siege, which has caused a dire humanitarian crisis. In addition, Hamas leaders believe that recognition of Israel is the last card in their hand and are reluctant to play it before talks even begin. Their diplomatic starting point will be to demand that Israel recognize the national rights of the Palestinians and withdraw from the occupied territories – but it will not be their final position.”

Hamas made “significant concessions” to the Quartet? Gerges mentions not one. Israel’s “siege” has caused a “dire humanitarian crisis”? In fact, despite Hamas’ belligerence and refusal to amend its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews, Israel ships in hundreds of trucks of food and medicine per week to ensure that there is no humanitarian crisis (Israel also accepts thousands of Gazans each year for medical treatment in its hospitals).

But the real key to Hamas’ duplicity is Gerges’ reference to the organization’s insistence that Israel must recognize “the national rights” of the Palestinians – code for Israel’s accepting the “right of return” of Palestinians to present-day Israel. That is one of the main preconditions for Hamas’ (previous) talk of “accepting,” however temporarily, Israel within the 1967 borders. In short, Israel would first have to accept its demise as the Jewish state. Halevy doesn’t mention this. Gerges leaves it in code. And consumers of news are left in the dark.

Then there’s the “moderate” Meshal, who, in fact, is anything but, refusing now even to mention the name “Israel.” As reported by Reuters late last month, Meshal told a rally in Damascus, where he’s based that Hamas “will keep rejecting the occupation and refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist entity. Priority will remain building and developing the resistance.”

In short, Hamas remains committed to “liberating” all of Palestine.

Possibly related posts:

• According to Reports: Can Hamas Stop Being Hamas?
• According to Reports: ‘Truce’ Shows Hamas’ True Colours
• According to Reports: Full Story of Gaza Smuggling Tunnels Goes Untold
• According to Reports: Settlements Aren’t the Obstacle to Peace
• According to Reports: CBC Report Casts Critical Eye on Hamas in Gaza