Sunday, April 02, 2017

The new political document of Hamas

The new Political Document of Hamas, which was just published seems to correct misconception about trends in the movement.  There is an interesting change: it is quite different from the first political document which was anti-Semitic and cited the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This one clearly distinguishes between hostility to Jews to as Jews (i.e. anti-Semitism) and political hostility to Israel and Zionism. The document makes it very clear that the movement is not opposed to Jewish people.  Interestingly, the document also talks about European persecution of Jews.  The document speaks about Islam as a point of reference for the movement and offers an apologetic view of Islam--that is not surprising. It speaks against Oslo and calls for dialogue and democratic rule in areas where Palestinian are, but this does not coincide with the rule of Hamas in Gaza (which remains far less worse than the rule of PA's Fath in Ramallah of course).  It insists on the liberation of all of Palestine and talks about full return of refugees and calls for armed struggle against occupation: but it should have elaborated on its understanding of armed struggle given the practice of forms of violence by Hamas which it later abandoned.  It has an article about the role of women but it is not clear or specific.  It seems that Hamas has been wrestled from Khalid Mish`al's hands.