GAZA CITY, 13 May 2006 — Thousands of Palestinians yesterday rallied in the West Bank city of Nablus to raise funds for the cash-strapped Hamas government. Some 5,000 people donated money and jewelry. Organizers announced over megaphones how much participants were donating. Speakers criticized Western economic pressure on Hamas. “These donations are our way of telling the world that we can live without them, and our children are paying what the Europeans should be paying,” said Bassam Al-Shaqaa, a former mayor of Nablus.
Facing a crippling international boycott and unable to meet Palestinians’ basic needs, Hamas is prepared to accept a plan that calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a Hamas official said yesterday. Hamas’ top leaders have not yet responded to the plan. Even if Hamas accepts a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, it’s unlikely it would be able to secure a resumption of Western aid without explicit recognition of Israel.
The plan was negotiated by top fighters from Hamas and the rival Fatah group, who are held in an Israeli prison. The 18-point proposal will be the basis for upcoming talks between Hamas and Fatah, said the Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because Hamas leaders have not yet gone public with their views.
Since taking power in March, Hamas has sent conflicting signals about its willingness to accept the international community’s conditions for doing business with it. The West has frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in aid payments to the Palestinian Authority because Hamas has refused to recognize Israel and renounce violence.
The prisoners’ draft agreement was negotiated over the past month by the fighters held in an Israeli prison, including Abdel Khaleq Natche, the top Hamas member held by Israel, and Marwan Barghouti, the senior Fatah prisoner.
The proposal calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state “in all the lands occupied in 1967,” a reference to the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
— Additional input from agencies
