(Gulf News-Dubai) Linda S. Heard - Chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau Khaled Mashaal's speech to rapturous crowds in Gaza last week was nothing short of incendiary. "No Palestinian leader has the authority to relinquish one inch of Gaza or the West Bank....Today is Gaza. Tomorrow will be Ramallah and after that Jerusalem, then Haifa and Jaffa." That defiant message may have played well with some Palestinians, but it has reaffirmed Israel's assertion that Hamas wants nothing less than the Jewish state's destruction. Moreover, his promotion of a course of action that is not doable, given Israel's military superiority, keeps an unrealistic dream alive. If Mashaal believed his speech would terrorize his enemies, he was mistaken. Its salient points will be quoted again and again by Israeli spokespersons to emphasize that Hamas is "a terrorist organization."
2012-12-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive