12 May 2011, 13:11

Media ignores Hamas leader ruling out ever recognising Israel


Thurs. 12 May 2011 @ 13.12 -

 <http://justjournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Zahar.jpg> Mahmoud
Zahar statement ruling out ever recognising Israel unreported in British
media, even when unity deal discussed.

Yesterday
<http://justjournalism.com/the-wire/hamas-in-gaza-leader-rules-out-ever-reco
gnising-israel/> Just Journalism reported comments made to
<http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=386651> Maan News Agency by
Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, in which he disavowed any suggestion that Hamas
would ever recognise the state of Israel. Zahar's comments, which featured
as a top news story on
<http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-accepts-1967-borders-bu
t-will-never-recognize-israel-top-official-says-1.361072> Haaretz, included
the assertion that truce was 'part of the resistance not its rejection', and
that 'truce is not peace'. Zahar said that recognition would never be
granted as it would:

'cancel the right of the next generations to liberate the lands'.

These statements have not been reported in the mainstream British media. A
number of fresh stories relating to Israel-Palestine, including
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/11/israel-palestinians-residency-r
ights> allegations that Israel took away residency rights from 140,000
Palestinians over a 27 year period - which was also a
<http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/erekat-revocation-of-arab-residen
cy-a-war-crime-1.361161> top story on Haaretz yesterday - do appear in the
British press today.

Of particular note is a substantial
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/view-from-jerusalem-with-harriet-sherwood/2
011/may/12/palestinian-territories-gaza> blog post by Harriet Sherwood,
which appears today on The Guardian website. '
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/view-from-jerusalem-with-harriet-sherwood/2
011/may/12/palestinian-territories-gaza> Unity deal leads to 'sceptical
optimism' among Palestinians' discusses the new reconciliation deal between
Fatah and Hamas at length, and contains a number of statements made by Hamas
on the new arrangement, without referencing the Hamas leader's recent and
inflammatory declarations.

As a result, the correspondent's analysis of Hamas' long term position on
Israel is somewhat misleading:

'As for demands that Hamas recognise the state of Israel before entering a
Palestinian unity government, Fuqahaa [a Hamas legislator] counters that
Israel must acknowledge the rights of the Palestinian people, Hamas is
prepared for a long-term truce, and the organisation "is agreeing in an
indirect way to the state of Israel by accepting a Palestinian state on 1967
lines".'

The article also directly contradicts the sentiment contained within Zahar's
pronouncements:

'"The main reason was that we are now witnessing a qualitative turn in the
perspective and strategy of Hamas," said Qais Abu Leila, a Democratic Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) legislator. "They seem to be
convinced by developments in the region that their position would be best
served within the Palestinian political system rather than as an outsider or
an alternative to the system. It seems they are ready to gradually
accommodate their political perspective to make this possible.'

The restatement of Hamas' position that it will never end its war against
Israel, or recognise the Israeli state, makes it clear that interpreting a
'qualitative turn in the perspective and strategy of Hamas' is deeply
questionable.

Sherwood is also critical of the 'visceral' Israeli response to the unity
deal, as:

'The formation of a technocratic government ought to allay Israeli alarm at
the prospect of having to deal with Hamas ministers.'

Statements such as Zahar's, notably absent from Sherwood's analysis, make it
clear why such 'Israeli alarm' may indeed be justified.

 



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