GAZA CITY, 7 March 2004 — The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is ready to heed Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s call to join the Palestinian Authority but will not be restricted to a symbolic role by its longtime rival.

“We do not want to become political partners by joining already-existing institutions on a quota basis but without securing any influence on the political decision-making, as is the case for several parties,” Sheikh Said Siam, a senior figure within Hamas’ Gaza stronghold told AFP yesterday.

“We want a political partnership along new guidelines which take into account the weight of the various movements.”

Also yesterday, the occupation forces bulldozers raised 32 douums of agricultural land in eastern Rafah city near the Gaza International Airport. The Palestinian security sources confirmed that the Israeli troops moved two kilometers into the Palestinian-controlled area in the city, and destroyed four houses, and seized arable land.

For the third day yesterday the Israeli forces continued to impose a strict blockade on Palestinian territories, in case Palestinian fighters attempt to carry out revenge attacks during the Passover holiday.

In Tulkarm City early yesterday morning, seven houses were seized by the Israeli forces, turning them into military barracks, when massive occupation forces stormed the refugee camp in the city, and positioned at its central neighborhoods. Later, they conducted a house-to-house search campaign, Tulkarm Governor, Ez El-Deen Shareef said.

Veteran leader Arafat, whose Fatah movement dominates the PA, said in an interview in the German magazine Focus this week that he wanted Hamas to be integrated into the official political structure. Asked if he supported Hamas’ integration into the PA, Arafat replied: “Yes. They (Hamas) were there from the beginning, even if they did later break away.” But relations between Hamas and Arafat supporters have been far from smooth.

Abdelaziz Al-Rantissi, who took over as leader of Hamas in the occupied territories after Israel’s recent murder of the movement’s founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, has been jailed on a number of occasions by the PA.

Unlike other nationalist movements, Hamas has declined to join the Palestine Liberation Organization and refused to take part in the first and to date only Palestinian elections back in 1996. But its willingness to enter the political mainstream has been stoked by the prospect of an Israeli pullout from Gaza as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “disengagement plan”.

However, Hamas knows its popularity in Gaza could translate into major political clout and is thus showing a willingness to administrate the territory while maintaining its commitment to the “liberation of the whole of Palestine”.

A recent poll showed that while Fatah’s popularity stands at 27 percent compared to 20 percent for Hamas in the Palestinian territories as a whole, the Islamist movement enjoys a 27 percent popularity rating compared to 23 percent for Fatah in Gaza.

The PLO has also asked Hamas to join a decision-making body to run the Gaza Strip if Israel pulls out, Palestinian officials said yesterday. Palestinian officials said the offer to Hamas had been made last week. Hamas officials said they were drawing up a response. “If it is approved, it could form a plan to deal with the situation that may arise in the event of an Israeli withdrawal,” said Qais Abdel-Karim, a senior official of the PLO’s Marxist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

—Additional input from agencies