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HAMAS RECOGNIZES 1967 BORDERS FOR FIRST TIME |
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Thursday, 12 May 2005 |
By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent
Hamas has distributed a document outlining a joint Palestinian
leadership program in which the organization, for the first time in its
existence, unequivocally recognizes the 1967 borders and adopts the
main principle guiding Fatah: the establishment of a Palestinian state
with Jerusalem as its capital.
The document, which proposes that Hamas work with Fatah and other
Palestinian organizations, is a combination of internal documents
prepared by Hamas over the last two years, some of which were first
published in Haaretz. But changes have been made over the last few
days, and especially after the meeting between Palestinian Authority
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas with Gazan Hamas leaders Mahmoud al-Zahar,
Ismail Haniya and Said al-Siam this week.
The new version of the document says that one of the principles
proposed by Hamas for a joint leadership is "a commitment to ending the
occupation and establishment of an independent, fully sovereign
Palestinian state, whose capital is Jerusalem." Until now, the
organization leaders had issued similar statements about agreeing in
principle to cease-fires or a long-term hudna, but it has never
delivered an official document to other factions, starting with Fatah,
in which they de facto recognize the political principles of Fatah.
On the one hand, the document emphasizes the "legitimacy of the
armed struggle, the political struggle and all the jihadist means that
the Palestinian people used and uses to achieve freedom and
independence, concentrating all the efforts to condemn the occupation
in all its forms in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and every centimeter
occupied by foreign forces."
But at the same time, it includes an article calling for improving
relations with the world in general and the West in particular, "on a
moral basis and political principles that will preserve the rights of
our people and guarantee an end to the aggression."
The document was finalized in the wake of heavy pressure on Hamas
leaders by Abbas during their meeting Tuesday night in Gaza City. At
the two-hour meeting, Palestinian sources said they saw Abbas tell
Hamas leaders that he intends to deploy the Palestinian security
services to prevent all military activity by all the organizations
throughout Gaza and he demanded a commitment from them to cease all
their military activity.
The demand was accompanied with similar threats by Fatah leaders in
Gaza toward Hamas to accept the framework of a general cease-fire and
not to clash with the current Palestinian leadership. According to
Palestinian sources, the Hamas leaders officially promised to respond
to the demands by Sunday but in effect have already complied with the
demands.
The document has already been delivered to other factions and
reflects Hamas recognition that it cannot oppose the security steps
planned by Abbas to cease the rocket fire into Israel and the attacks
on the settlements.
Like other documents published in the past, it is called a
"covenant of honor" meant to formulate "a general national policy" for
the Palestinians. But its language and content reflect the current
weakness of the organization compared to the joint operations of the
Palestinian security services and the Fatah movement, which are united
behind Abbas.
"The Zionist enemy is the main enemy of the Palestinian people
because it conquered our land and expelled our nation," says Article 4
of the document, which says that the withdrawal from Gaza will be "a
national achievement for the armed struggle and the result of steadfast
commitment to the legitimate right to oppose aggression and the
occupation."
For now, the document remains a proposal to Fatah and the
Palestinian Authority that has not yet been adopted. It defines
"cooperation or information exchanges and security cooperation with the
occupation" as a "crime that must be accompanied by heavy punishments."
The document calls for the establishment of a joint leadership for
all the organizations and calls national Palestinian unity a main value
for Palestinian society. A substantial part of Abbas' own campaign
platform is detailed in the document, such as adoption of the rule of
law and order, the deployment of the security services according to
clear laws and defense of political pluralism and freedom of
association and assembly.
Article six of the document says "the elections in the Palestinian
territories will be the main instrument for deciding all the main
political issues that face the Palestinians." The article is similar in
essence to Abbas' promise to bring any future agreement with Israel to
a national referendum. |
