New Hamas Charter

by Stephen Lendman

On Monday, Hamas announced it new charter, accepting a Palestinian state within June 1967 borders - while rejecting legitimacy of "the Zionist entity," stating:

It "rejects any alternative to the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the (Jordan) river to the (Mediterranean) sea." 

"However, without compromising its rejection of the Zionist entity and without relinquishing any Palestinian rights, Hamas considers the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital along the lines of the 4th of June 1967, with the return of the refugees and the displaced to their homes from which they were expelled, to be a formula of national consensus."

New charter language differs from its original 1988 version, saying "all Palestinian land is sacred; there can be no end to conflict with Israel."

"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiative, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."

It also called itself humanistic and tolerant of other religions as long as its adherents "stop disputing the sovereignty of Islam in this region. (R)enouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the (Islamic) religion."

In 2008, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said the group would accept a Palestinian state within June 1967 borders. 

Years earlier, Hamas Political Bureau chairman Khaled Mashal earlier said historic Palestine is "our homeland. There will be no relinquishing or forsaking even an inch or small part of it."

In 2010, he said the original charter is "a piece of history and no longer relevant, but cannot be changed for internal reasons."

Israel relies on confrontation and conflict to pursue its imperial agenda, wanting the Middle East map redrawn, eliminating regional rivals, balkanizing and weakening Arab nations, leaving itself the sole dominant one.

Peace and stability are anathema to its objectives. As expected, Netanyahu denounced the new Hamas charter, calling it a "smoke screen," falsely claiming the group "continue(es) invest(ing) all of its resources not just in preparing for war with Israel, but also in educating the children of Gaza to want to destroy Israel."

Fact: Israel is a nuclear-armed military powerhouse. It ruthlessly smashed Gaza three times since December 2008, another preemptive war possible any time for any contrived reason.

Fact: Israeli military might could turn the entire Strip to rubble, massacring hundreds of thousands if it wished.

Fact: Hamas wants peace and stability, not war. It wants fundamental Palestinian rights recognized and respected - by Israel and the world community.

Its new charter calls Jerusalem Palestine's capital, stresses the Al-Aksa Mosque's importance for Muslims, saying "the occupation's plots, measures and attempts to Judaize Al-Aksa and divide it are null, void and illegitimate."

It calls the right of diaspora Palestinians to return to their homeland an "inalienable…natural right, both individual and collective."

It denounces "(t)he Zionist project (as) racist, aggressive, colonial and expansionist…based on seizing the properties of others."

"(I)t is hostile to the Palestinian people and to their aspiration for freedom, liberation, return and self-determination."

It claims the legitimacy of armed struggle, though accepts resisting nonviolently. Its conflict is with "Zionist" occupiers," not with Jews.

It calls for free and fair elections, stating "the Palestinian Authority should…serve the Palestinian people and safeguard their security (and) rights…"

At a Monday press conference, Meshal said "Hamas objects to any plan offering an alternative (Palestinian) homeland. (It's) willing to negotiate a sovereign and independent state with Jerusalem as its capital" as the basis for any conflict resolution deal with Israel, adding:

"(T)he  new document will undermine neither our principles nor our strategy. Jerusalem, the right of return, Palestinian unity and the resistance forces are fundamental principles. The changes relate to regional developments, and suit the era."

Hamas will not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, he stressed. Its new charter was released ahead of Trump's Wednesday meeting with Israeli-anointed PA leader Mahmoud Abbas at a time most Palestinians despise him.

He serves Israeli interests, not theirs. Both leaders will discuss restarting futile peace talks, dead-on-arrival each time initiated because Israel and Washington want conflict, not resolution; Palestinian subservience, not independence; continued occupation harshness, not liberation.

On Tuesday, Israel commemorated its 69th so-called independence birthday - the Palestinian Nakba.

June marks 50 years of brutal occupation harshness - an entire population persecuted for not being Jewish.

A Tuesday White House reception highlighted one-sided US support for Israel.

"America stands with Israel," Vice President Pence bellowed. "President Trump stands with Israel for the same reason that every freedom-loving American stands with Israel - because her cause is our cause. Her values are our values. And her fight is our fight."

As always, truth-telling and fundamental Palestinian rights were ignored.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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