|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22286/what-hamas-says-in-arabic
Time to Listen to What Hamas Says in Arabic
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Hamas leaders may have told U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during secret meetings that they do not rule out the possibility of the group laying down its weapons. When addressing Arab audiences in Arabic, however, recent statements by senior officials Khaled Mashaal and Mahmoud Mardawi show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump's plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmament, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of Gaza, and the deployment of an international security force. In early February, Mashaal, head of Hamas's political bureau abroad, said his group would be prepared to discuss the issue of disarmament only after the reconstruction of Gaza begins. He said that Hamas, backed by Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, is willing to accept a truce lasting 5-10 years, but without handing over its weapons. Finally, he repeated his group's unequivocal rejection of Trump's "Board of Peace." Mardawi also declared that his group "will not give up its weapons," though Hamas might consider surrendering its weapons only after a Palestinian state is established. It is crucial that the Trump administration and the rest of the international community start paying attention to what Hamas says in Arabic, not what some of its leaders or friends in Qatar and Turkey tell foreign officials in English and behind closed doors. Hamas evidently does not take seriously Trump's repeated warnings that it must disarm and relinquish control of Gaza. Even if Hamas does hand over some of its weapons as part of a facade, it will never actually lay down all its weapons: they are central to its ideology, which requires Muslims to take part in the Jihad to liberate all of Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.