Hamas insists accord with Fatah doesn`t mean recognizing “Israel”

Source: Compiled by Daily Star, 10-2-2007
Hamas said Friday that it would never recognize "Israel" and will not, as a movement, abide by previously reached Palestinian peace accords with "Israel" as urged by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah. "We will never recognize "Israel". There is nothing called "Israel", neither in reality nor in the imagination," Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told the Reuters news agency.
Rayyan welcomed the unity government agreement reached in Mecca on Thursday but said Hamas shunned Abbas` call for Premier Ismail Haniyya, who will form the new cabinet, to abide by previous peace accords.
"We, in the Hamas movement, will not abide by anything," he said.
The comments were endorsed by Hamas spokesman Ismail Rudwan, who said: "The recognition is not an option at all, is not discussable."
Palestinians hope the unity deal will bring an end to factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah and lead Western powers to lift sanctions on the Hamas-led government.
The "Quartet" of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - has demanded that the government renounce violence, recognize "Israel" and abide by interim peace deals.
The agreement reached in Mecca calls for the new government to "respect" previous agreements. Rudwan said this means "the government will respect them [the agreements] in the way that fulfils the interests of our people."
Analysts said the term "respect" falls short of a commitment and would allow Hamas to pick and choose its positions on various elements of existing interim deals.
Hamas urged the West to accept the unity government, which it said was the only way to ensure stability.
"We have agreed with the Saudis to market this agreement internationally. Our brothers are in constant contact with the Americans and Europeans and I believe there is a possibility to market this agreement," government spokesman Ghazi Hamad told Reuters. "They cannot ignore this agreement and impose their own conditions," he said in reference to the US. "The European Union should open a dialogue with this new government and this is the only way to have stability in the region."
But Abbas adviser Nabil Amr said he feared the deal might not be enough to end the international sanctions, which Palestinians say were partly to blame for the violence that has killed 90 people since December.
"I cannot say, and we don`t have great expectations, that this agreement will completely end the siege, but it will pave the way to end it," he said. "We were in need of an agreement after the pressure of the [recent violence] and we have broad enough shoulders to carry this fragile political formula."
There was international relief Friday at the agreement between the rival Palestinian factions, though the United States insisted the Palestinians must commit to peace with "Israel". "Israel" and the EU also only gave cautious approval of the accord between Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.
Washington, which led the international boycott after Hamas won the Palestinian elections a year ago, said it wanted to see more details of the pact. The US State Department said it wanted to see the "composition or the political program" of the new Palestinian government.
"We believe the Palestinian people deserve a Palestinian Authority government that can pursue that goal, one that is clearly and credibly committed to the principles reiterated by the Quartet at its meeting in Washington last week and to partnership in pursuit of peace," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.
"Israel" also highlighted the need for Palestinians to recognize the Jewish state.
"`Israel` expects the new Palestinian Cabinet to respect the three principles laid down by the international community," said Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Premier Ehud Olmert.
European Union foreign policy Chief Javier Solana`s spokeswoman, Cristina Gallach, said: "We are going to look at all the details with the best will in a positive but cautious manner."
Russia, Britain and the UN secretary general gave more outright praise for the deal.
"We welcome any forward movement toward the creation of a national unity government, since only in this way can the situation ... realistically be normalized," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told the Interfax news agency.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed hope that the accord "will curb the violence, creating a better future for the Palestinian people" and looked forward to discussing "the way ahead," said his spokeswoman Michele Montas.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett also called the agreement "important," while France urged support for the new government.
"The creation of a new government on the basis ... must be encouraged and supported by the international community in order to pave the way to renewed cooperation and the relaunch of the peace process," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.