Besides, maybe the six Christians in the new parliament will be able to make their voices heard on this subject.

I have no quarrel with the idea of women choosing to cover their hair or that of parents choosing to send their children to single-sex schools. But Hamas’s intent is that there will be no choice.

Hamas candidates ran on a platform of clean government, largely de-emphasizing their militant credentials.

I’ve seen this sort of statement over and over in the MSM, emphasizing the absence of any express call in the platform for the elimination of Israel. It’s always struck me as dubious, but I was having a lot of difficulty locating a copy of the platform in order to confirm my suspicions. Until now.

Here are some excerpts that the Jerusalem Post published on January 26:

The Change and reform List adopts a number of approaches to fulfill fixed aims emanating from Islamic references – namely:

1. Islam is our Reference.

2. Palestine is Arab and Muslim Land.

3. Palestinians are one nation regardless of location.

4. The Palestinian People are still in the process of National Liberation and have the right to use all means including armed struggle to achieve this goal.

5. The right of return to all Palestinians.

6. Adherence to the inalienable rights of the people.

7. Protect and cement National Unity as a priority.

8. The issue of prisoners and detainees tops the agenda ; on the internal policy level the C&R aims at achieving a great number of objectives – among them: Maintaining Palestinian fixed National Aims; Palestinian presence in Jerusalem; political freedom; dialogue as a means to solving internal differences; freedom of expression; assembling movement.

9. The platform of the C&R prohibits: Political detention; shedding Palestinian blood; protection of civil society; directing the security apparatus to safeguarding the security of the citizens.

Among other things the Platform calls for protecting the “Resistance” and enhancing its role to resist Occupation and achieve Liberation. The C&R will also build a normal Palestinian individual who takes pride in his religion, land, freedom and dignity and is ready to sacrifice for them.

The C&R will continue to resist the erection of the Racist Wall and it will seek its destruction.

This is all of the usual stuff, mirroring key provisions of the 1968 PLO Covenant, and appears in the opening portion of the platform, well before the sections addressing “clean government” issues.

To my eye, this platform CLEARLY STATES that HAMAS will work to prepare the populace for the struggle to end the Zionist occupation of all land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean.