While the international community remains officially wedded to the idea of a two-state solution as a way out of the current Middle East impasse, Hamas continues to insist that the only solution it has in mind is making “Palestine” Jew-free.
“Each [Israeli] will go his way,” said senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar, in an interview that aired on Al-Jazeera on Tuesday and was translated by MEMRI. “This land is not suitable for a two-state solution. It’s either or. Either the occupation remains forever – an option that has become completely inconceivable – or this occupation will be removed and each [Israeli] will go his way.”
Al-Zahar helpfully explained that Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s father is still living in America, so he should go to America. [MK Avigdor] Liberman’s father is still living in Russia, so he should go to Russia. Whoever came from those countries should go back there. Palestine is an Arab and Islamic land, which is mentioned in the Quran.” Apparently, Al-Zahar was not aware that the elder Netanyahu died in 2012.
Al-Zahar also called for cooperation between Muslims against Israel, saying that it is an obligation to do so.
“Iran has been targeted by the Israeli entity, which killed Iranian leaders,” he said, adding that Israel had “incited America to place an [economic] siege on Iran. Therefore, Iran is the enemy of our enemy. Syrian lands are occupied, including the Golan Heights. Syria is the enemy of our enemy.”
“Lebanon – where Hezbollah is – has been attacked and its lands occupied, and it is also the enemy of our enemy. Why should we not cooperate with the enemy of our enemy in order to liberate our land? We have a common enemy and one land, so why not cooperate in order to liberate it? I don't just 'accept' this. I think it is our duty to cooperate on all levels, in order to liberate the land and get rid of this cancer on our land.”