You have to hand it to Hamas. The organization will clearly never get the hang of modern public relations. Stung by accusations by Al Qaeda’s Number Two accusing them of having gone soft on Israel, Hamas released these statements:
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas rejected on Monday criticism by al Qaeda’s second-in-command and said it was still committed to Israel’s destruction despite a power-sharing deal with the Fatah faction.
“We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine,” Hamas said in a statement, in a clear reference to Israel as well as to the occupied West Bank.
In an audio recording posted on the Internet on Sunday, al Qaeda’s Ayman al-Zawahri accused Hamas of serving U.S. interests by agreeing to respect past Palestinian peace accords with Israel in a recent Saudi-brokered unity government deal with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah.
What astonishes me is that Reuters did not try to downplay these words, and even titled their article “Hamas says still seeks Israel’s destruction.”
They’re slipping.
And the punchline of this story? Well, Hamas openly admits its genocidal purpose. Hamas, time after time, tells the world that its main cause is the destruction of Israel, and her replacement with an Islamic state. And still, the world insists that A) Hamas has reformed B) Hamas is not a terrorist organization and C) Hamas can be reasoned with, negotiated with, and should be dealth with. Failing that, the world says that Israel should ignore Hamas’ control of the Palestinian Authority and deal with Abbas, who has now become effectively the Hamas puppet, thanks to the Mecca Accord. And the Saudis pushed the Mecca Accord because—bonus points if you already knew this—they want to wean Hamas away from Iran, and don’t give a damn about peace with Israel. So now Saudi money will fund the murder of Jews. Actually, more Saudi money. They’ve been funding terrorism for decades.
I will remember these facts every time I hear some schmuck say that Israel will deal with Hamas. But much of the world will not. They will, in the face of tons of evidence to the contrary, insist that Hamas can be reasoned with, and Israel is the stumbling block on the road to peace. Ex-presidents, even.
Here’s the proof that will be ignored:
“Zawahri’s recent statements were wrong … Resistance is our strategy. How and when? This depends on the reality at the time and our corresponding view of things,” Hamas said.
“So be assured doctor Ayman, and all those who love Palestine like yourself, that Hamas is still the group you knew when it was founded and it will never abandon its path.”
Hamas said its decision to run in the January 2006 Palestinian election that brought it to power and last month’s unity deal with Fatah “came only to preserve the higher interests of the Palestinian people.”
Those “higher interests” should be read as “the destruction of Israel.” Because that’s what Hamas is all about.
Deal with Hamas at the point of the bayonet. It’s the only way.