At the weekly Cabinet meeting this morning (Sunday), Minister Shalom totally rejected Hamas' participation in the elections. "Do we really believe that an organization that has engraved on its banner the goal of destroying Israel would give up its party platform after being elected?" Shalom asked the ministers with incredulity.
"It is unreasonable for Israel to cooperate with the participation of terrorist organizations in the elections," Shalom said as he provide an overview of the political situation. "Hamas has no place in the future of this region."
Prime Minister Sharon said he accepts Shalom's position. He has said in the past that Israel "will never agree that this armed terrorist organization participate in the elections," and that "we will make every effort not to help them in their elections." However, Israel's objections have been mooted of late, in light of the U.S. Administration's plans to do nothing to stop Hamas from taking part in the election.
Just a few days ago, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice that Israel would not interfere with Hamas' participation in the election. He added, though, that if Hamas joins a future PA government, Israel would not cooperate with its representatives.
Shalom's declaration today appears to have given new life to Israel's objections. Not only Sharon, but also Ministers Yisrael Katz, Gideon Ezra and Tzippy Livny expressed their agreement with Shalom's position.
Prime Minister Sharon said that Israel's final position on the issue will be formulated in an upcoming meeting of the security mini-Cabinet.
Israel position against Hamas' participation in the elections, because of its declared intentions to destroy Israel, apply just as well to the PA's ruling Fatah organization. Just today, Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigades declared solidarity with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's call for the destruction of Israel. The Brigades said that the destruction of Israel is "G-d's will," adding that they "consider the recognition of Israel as an underestimation of the Palestinian people, who give sacrifices of blood for the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem."
Despite the PA declaration in late 1998 that it had eliminated the destruction-of-Israel clauses from its charter, Fatah's official website presents its charter just as it was written in 1989. The Fatah charter still declares its ambition to bring about the "total liberation of Palestine and the liquidation of the Zionist entity economically, politically, militarily and culturally." This will be done, the charter states, via armed popular revolution - which Fatah's Al-Aksa and other groups have taken upon themselves to carry out.