GAZA CITY: The head of Gaza’s Hamas government has given his first interview since Israel ended a fierce three-week military offensive.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera yesterday, Ismail Haniyeh appealed to US President Barack Obama to change American policies in the Middle East.
Haniyeh said he believes the US does not want to be in conflict with the Muslim world. He also said he hopes Obama will change the policies of his predecessor.
Hamas often accused President George W. Bush of being biased in favor of Israel. Haniyeh’s comments may have been a reaction to Obama’s call this week for a new era of improved US relations with the Muslim world.
It was not clear where the interview was taped. Haniyeh has been in hiding, fearing Israel will kill him.
Meanwhile, senior officials in Hamas are indicating a willingness to negotiate a deal for a long-term truce with Israel as long as the borders of Gaza are opened to the rest of the world.
“We want to be part of the international community,” Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad told The Associated Press at the Gaza-Egypt border, where he was coordinating Arab aid shipments. “I think Hamas has no interest now to increase the number of crises in Gaza or to challenge the world.”
Hamas is trying hard to flex its muscles in the aftermath of Israel’s punishing onslaught in the Gaza Strip, doling out cash, vowing revenge and declaring victory over Zionist aggression.
But AP interviews with Hamad and two other Hamas leaders in the war-ravaged territory they rule suggest some of that might be more bluster than reality — and the group may be ready for some serious deal-making.
“We won this war,” said Hamas politician Mushir Al-Masri. “Why should we give in to pressure from anyone?” Al-Masri spoke to the AP while standing next to a chair that used to serve as his seat in the Palestinian Parliament, now reduced to rubble by Israeli bombing. Surrounding him were cracked cement, broken bricks, shattered glass and microphones covered in ash.
Al-Masri sounded a conciliatory note. “We have our hands open to any country ... to open a dialogue without conditions,” he said — clarifying that does not include Israel.
Hamas’ pragmatists may have emerged from Israel’s offensive slightly stronger, perhaps because of a perception among some Gazans that the organization’s hawks overplayed their hand.
Obama has repeatedly reached out to Muslims since becoming president. He assured hard-liners in his inaugural address that “we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” He dispatched special envoy George J. Mitchell to the Middle East on a “listening tour.”
And on Tuesday he chose the Arab satellite network Al-Arabiya for his first televised interview, declaring “Americans are not your enemy.” It’s unlikely Obama would talk directly to Hamas, which the US lists as a terrorist organization.
However, if reconciliation talks between Hamas and its pro-Western Fatah rivals in Egypt bear fruit, Obama, unlike his predecessor, may accept a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.
It’s true Hamas has yet to renounce violence and Israel’s assault has hardened many hearts in Gaza.
But with the territory in desperate need of recovery, the group is promising not to interfere with aid efforts and appears keen to reconcile with Fatah.
Hamas says it wants international recognition as much as an end to the blockade of Gaza — but it won’t get either for free. For Hamas, the price may include allowing Fatah back into Gaza 20 months after it ousted them.
