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Hamas
Considers Joining PLO
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Al-Zahhar
signaled a conditional possibility for Hamas joining the PLO
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By
Mohamed Yaseen, IOL Correspondent
GAZA
CITY, December 6 (IslamOnline.net) – In a rare press conference,
leading Hamas figure Mahmoud Al-Zahhar signaled Sunday, December 5,
the possibility of joining the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO), provided that it amends its charter along “basics articulated
in a charter paper” presented by Hamas.
“During
our latest session of national dialogue with Abu Mazen (PLO head
Mahmoud Abbas) Thursday, December 2, we gave him the paper of
Palestinian charter of honor.
“We
will first hold bilateral talks about the presented paper. If we agree
on that charter, we will move to the comprehensive reference gathering
all Palestinians, inside and outside (Palestine),” Al-Zahhar said.
“There
is an article (in the presented charter) on Hamas joins the PLO. We
will work on reshaping that organization (PLO) in a way that satisfies
all Palestinians and serves our national causes.”
Hamas
has always rejected joining the PLO with its current charter –
amended after Oslo Accords which Hamas does not recognize for failing
to fulfill the minimum of the Palestinians’ ambitions.
“The
temporary article (in Hamas’s paper) determines how to deal with the
lands of settlements after the Israeli occupation withdraws
wherefrom,” Al-Zahar said.
According
to Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon’s controversial disengagement plan,
Israeli forces will withdraw from all settlements in the Gaza Strip
and four others in the West Bank.
Al-Zahhar
insisted that “no one could impose on us solutions that do not meet
our minimum ambitions in this stage”, recalling how Oslo failed to
produce any tangible results.
The
statements came on the eve of talks in the Syrian capital Damascus
between Abbas and Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas.
Must
Be Preserved
Hamas
spokesman Sami Abu Zahri told IslamOnline.net that Hamas sees the PLO
as “one of the great achievements by the Palestinian people that
must be preserved.”
“But
the PLO is in currently bad-shaped. Institutional work is,
unfortunately, marginalized. The organization is still acting
unilaterally, ignoring Hamas as the biggest Palestinian power, and not
including it in the decision-making.”
He
stressed that the PLO “must be reshaped to conform with the new
realities. Once this is done, Hamas will join the PLO.”
Following
the signing of Oslo Accords in 1993, the PLO and Fatah movement
controlled the Palestinian Authority that was set up after the 1996
general elections.
Late
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who headed both the PLO and Fatah,
died
at a French military
hospital Thursday, November 11, at the age of 75.
The
caretaker of the Palestinian Authority, speaker of the parliament
Rawhi Fatouh, issued a presidential decree setting January 9 as the
date for the long-anticipated presidential election.
Hamas
has already declared it would not participate in the presidential
elections, pressing for general and municipal elections first.
During
the press conference, Al-Zahhar refused a decision by the Palestinian
Legislative Council on adopting the civil registration office’s
lists instead of electoral lists.
“We
do not accept forging the will of the Palestinian people, especially
during the coming period.”
He
said Hamas agreed to adopting the civil registration office’s lists
before the start of the enlisting process to give all a chance to
review them, but the PA supported the electoral lists.
Al-Zahar
said that after an agreement was reached Fatah lawmakers blocked it in
the PLC, a move he dubbed as “unprecedented for parliaments that
respect the will and ambitions of its peoples”.
Truce
Talk
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Sheikh
Hassan reportedly said Hamas was “considering” truce with
Israel
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Several
Hamas leaders have recently sent mixing signals on the possibility of
hudna or truce with Israel.
Al-Zahhar
poured cold water on the issue after speculations that preceded his
meeting Thursday with Abu Mazen, suggesting the PLO chairman might be
pushing for such a move.
“No
single word was said about a truce,” Al-Zahar told reporters.
“Until
now we are still defending ourselves, defending our people and pushing
the Israelis outside our territory.”
But
British daily the Independent Monday, December 6, said the
recently freed Hamas leading figure in the West Bank Sheikh Hassan
Yousuf appeared not to rule out the possibility.
According
to the daily, Sheikh Hassan said Hamas had been “considering” a
halt to bombings if Israelis ceased killing civilians, adding the
discussion of a ceasefire was not new and Hamas had joined other
factions during Abbas's premiership last year in “testing”
Israel's willingness to agree to a ceasefire.
Asked
if Hamas was prepared to mount a second “test”, he said: “Abu
Mazen has not yet made an official request to do that. When he does,
our response will be responsible and in the interests of the
Palestinian people.”
The
2003 ceasefire collapsed after Israel assassinated
Ismail Abu Shanab, a Hamas political leader.
Palestinian
factions reacted saying that by assassinating Abu Shanab Israel killed
stone dead
the three-month truce declared by the main resistance groups on June
29.
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