Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told the House of Representatives Thursday that the United States is set to halt all funding to the Palestinian Authority, now that Hamas is taking legislative control.
Rice is demanding that the PA meet the demands placed upon it by the Quartet, which call for the entity to recognize Israel's right to exist, disarm its activists and renounce terror. Rice requested the House freeze transfer of all funds, including aid previously approved. She strongly encouraged other nations to similarly cease paying the PA to perpetuate the Hamas terror regime.
In direct contradiction to Hamas’ ongoing bluster about its refusal to meet the Quartet’s demands, the terrorist group may in fact try to tone down their rhetoric.
Hamas officials have been quietly working on a new charter that will put a different political face on the new majority party in the Palestinian Legislative Council, according to Dr. Azzam Tamimi, director of the Institute for Politican Thought in London.
The terrorist leaders have been holding quiet meetings in hotel rooms in Beirut and Damascus to develop a more moderate document which will carry a non-anti-Semitic image.
“The whole language will be changed to political language,” he said, rather than the current text which is rife with anti-Semitic statements.
The 51-year-old, born in Hevron, said the document would still call for Israel’s destruction and the creation of a Palestinian state on its land. It would, however, provide for a possible long-term cease-fire if Israel returns to the pre-1967 borders.
The current charter, written when Hamas was founded in 1988 declares that “so-called peaceful solutions contradict the principles of Hamas” and calls for “jihad” (a holy war) to liberate all lands owned by the Jewish people.
The document also cites the virulent “Protocols of Zion” as a legitimate document and holds “Zionists” responsible for the French and Russian revolutions.
Nonetheless, said Tamimi, it is likely the new PA majority leaders will hold up its introduction of the new charter in order not to appear as it if is capitulating to Israeli and international pressure.
Immediate Power Struggle Ahead
Hamas will face its first challenge when the Palestinian Legislative Council meets to discuss presidential decrees made last week by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas which place PA bodies under his direct control.
The latest orders give Abbas exclusive control over the PA’s radio and TV stations and include several last-minute promotions and appointments of officials.
Hamas has announced it will cancel any law that was passed by the PLC after the January elections and will not accept any Abbas decisions made in the past few days.
“From now on we will have two authorities and most likely this will lead to a class,” commented former PA minister Nabil Amr. “The struggle will be between the president’s office on the one hand and the parliament and cabinet on the other.” Amr, a Fatah candidate from Hevron, lost his seat in the PLC election last month.
The outgoing legislative council was controlled by Abbas’ Fatah party.
The Morning After
Although Abbas will stay on for the time being as Chairman and president of the PA, Hamas has chosen a new prime minister, 46-year-old Ismail Haniyeh, who is hailed as a “moderate” within the group.
Haniyeh has been a senior member of Hamas since the 1990’s. He has served as liaison between his group and the Fatah-ruled PA, rising to prominence in 2004 when Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor Abdel Aziz Rantisi were assassinated by Israel.
The new minister was born in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza. He graduated with a degree in Arabic literature from Gaza City’s Islamic University in 1987. He returned in 1992 after a year-long exile in south Lebanon to become the dean of his old alma mater.
Setting Up for the Future
Hamas leaders have been busy in the past week, making the rounds of various governments in an attempt to shore up support for its new role and maintain its funding from the international community.
It hasn’t been easy.
Despite the EU’s assurance that it will continue to allow funds to flow into the PA for the time being, Solana met with Abbas on Thursday in Ramallah to express his support for his ongoing efforts to keep the talks with Israel alive.
Solana also expressed optimism that Russia’s plans to meet with Hamas officials “could be helpful if they relay the messages of the Quartet”.
Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank, meanwhile met in Moscow with Putin to discuss the world body’s concerns about the tense situation in the region.
Jordan coyly avoided making any commitments, with Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet inviting Hamas leaders to visit the kingdom but restricting his remarks to welcoming the “delegation of our brothers”. Hamas was expelled from Jordan in 1999.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was also circumspect in his talks with Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal, reminding Meshal that his country continues to support the peace process and that violence is not acceptable.
“These days are important days,” he said in remarks broadcast on national television. “Correct messages should be given. Someone should do something; if the wrong paths are taken, both Palestinian and Israeli people will get hurt”.
Rice is demanding that the PA meet the demands placed upon it by the Quartet, which call for the entity to recognize Israel's right to exist, disarm its activists and renounce terror. Rice requested the House freeze transfer of all funds, including aid previously approved. She strongly encouraged other nations to similarly cease paying the PA to perpetuate the Hamas terror regime.
In direct contradiction to Hamas’ ongoing bluster about its refusal to meet the Quartet’s demands, the terrorist group may in fact try to tone down their rhetoric.
Hamas officials have been quietly working on a new charter that will put a different political face on the new majority party in the Palestinian Legislative Council, according to Dr. Azzam Tamimi, director of the Institute for Politican Thought in London.
The terrorist leaders have been holding quiet meetings in hotel rooms in Beirut and Damascus to develop a more moderate document which will carry a non-anti-Semitic image.
“The whole language will be changed to political language,” he said, rather than the current text which is rife with anti-Semitic statements.
The 51-year-old, born in Hevron, said the document would still call for Israel’s destruction and the creation of a Palestinian state on its land. It would, however, provide for a possible long-term cease-fire if Israel returns to the pre-1967 borders.
The current charter, written when Hamas was founded in 1988 declares that “so-called peaceful solutions contradict the principles of Hamas” and calls for “jihad” (a holy war) to liberate all lands owned by the Jewish people.
The document also cites the virulent “Protocols of Zion” as a legitimate document and holds “Zionists” responsible for the French and Russian revolutions.
Nonetheless, said Tamimi, it is likely the new PA majority leaders will hold up its introduction of the new charter in order not to appear as it if is capitulating to Israeli and international pressure.
Immediate Power Struggle Ahead
Hamas will face its first challenge when the Palestinian Legislative Council meets to discuss presidential decrees made last week by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas which place PA bodies under his direct control.
The latest orders give Abbas exclusive control over the PA’s radio and TV stations and include several last-minute promotions and appointments of officials.
Hamas has announced it will cancel any law that was passed by the PLC after the January elections and will not accept any Abbas decisions made in the past few days.
“From now on we will have two authorities and most likely this will lead to a class,” commented former PA minister Nabil Amr. “The struggle will be between the president’s office on the one hand and the parliament and cabinet on the other.” Amr, a Fatah candidate from Hevron, lost his seat in the PLC election last month.
The outgoing legislative council was controlled by Abbas’ Fatah party.
The Morning After
Although Abbas will stay on for the time being as Chairman and president of the PA, Hamas has chosen a new prime minister, 46-year-old Ismail Haniyeh, who is hailed as a “moderate” within the group.
Haniyeh has been a senior member of Hamas since the 1990’s. He has served as liaison between his group and the Fatah-ruled PA, rising to prominence in 2004 when Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his successor Abdel Aziz Rantisi were assassinated by Israel.
The new minister was born in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza. He graduated with a degree in Arabic literature from Gaza City’s Islamic University in 1987. He returned in 1992 after a year-long exile in south Lebanon to become the dean of his old alma mater.
Setting Up for the Future
Hamas leaders have been busy in the past week, making the rounds of various governments in an attempt to shore up support for its new role and maintain its funding from the international community.
It hasn’t been easy.
Despite the EU’s assurance that it will continue to allow funds to flow into the PA for the time being, Solana met with Abbas on Thursday in Ramallah to express his support for his ongoing efforts to keep the talks with Israel alive.
Solana also expressed optimism that Russia’s plans to meet with Hamas officials “could be helpful if they relay the messages of the Quartet”.
Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank, meanwhile met in Moscow with Putin to discuss the world body’s concerns about the tense situation in the region.
Jordan coyly avoided making any commitments, with Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet inviting Hamas leaders to visit the kingdom but restricting his remarks to welcoming the “delegation of our brothers”. Hamas was expelled from Jordan in 1999.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was also circumspect in his talks with Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal, reminding Meshal that his country continues to support the peace process and that violence is not acceptable.
“These days are important days,” he said in remarks broadcast on national television. “Correct messages should be given. Someone should do something; if the wrong paths are taken, both Palestinian and Israeli people will get hurt”.