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Abu Marzook:Constants of the Palestinian people are a red line

As usual, Deputy-head of Hamas’ political bureau Dr. Mousa Abu Marzook, spoke in an open interview with Ikhwnweb.com about the status of Hamas government, the critical Palestinian situations, attempts to form the Palestinian unity government and negotiations to release the Israeli captured soldier, but he confirmed one single fact: that Hamas movement will never recognize Israel.

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As usual, Deputy-head of Hamas’ political bureau Dr. Mousa Abu Marzook, spoke in an open interview with Ikhwnweb.com about the status of Hamas government, the critical Palestinian situations, attempts to form the Palestinian unity government and negotiations to release the Israeli captured soldier, but he confirmed one single fact: that Hamas movement will never recognize Israel.

This is the interview transcript:

US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said that there is a contradiction and disagreements between Hamas leaders in Gaza and its leaders in Damascus, explain these statements?

I believe that this claim recurred several times and in different forms and they have become nonsense words which are groundless; this claim hs been repeated for 15 years targeting various generations of the movement’s leadership; they have no basis on the ground; if there were disagreements, as Rice and others said, why didn’t we see any schisms inside the movement despite the hard circumstances that it faces.
Hamas movement has its grassroots, supporters and institutions and the Palestinian people who support it; the movement takes its decision through consultations across all its levels whether in the West Bank, Gaza, in prisons or in the exile; there is a clear mechanism for taking decisions based on consultation and participation of all the movement cadres .

What is the outcome of the attempts of forming a national unity government amid the conflicting speeches between leaders of Hamas and Fatah?

Undoubtedly, there is a general attitude in the Fatah Movement of not approving a national unity government and continuing the movement’s plans to foil a Hamas government; it is clear at all; Hamas movement, Fatah Movement and all other groups signed a national accord document; but they don’t abide by it and its items for which they attacked Hamas movement.
We- in Hamas movement- believe that any coming national unity government must be based on the national accord document .

The Palestinian arena sees many problems and pressures on Hamas government whether from domestic or foreign; how will the future of Hamas government under these bad conditions
?
As a matter of fact, the conditions are very hard due to a multilateral blockade in which the Palestinian people are punished for their democratic choice; I believe that any other government would have failed in such circumstances whether from inside or outside; however, the popular support made Hamas resist during throughout this period; this good support continues, but we- in Hamas movement- study many options to end the suffering of the Palestinian people; of course these options don’t include conceding the Palestinian constants .

What are the options discussed by the movement?

There are many options to be discussed by the movement: that the Prime Minister be not from Hamas, forming a technocrats government and many other options that the movement is discussing.

How will the future of the situation in the Palestinian territories be in case the democratic project that brought Hamas movement failed?

Objectively speaking, we can’t talk about a failure of Hamas government; in order to evaluate it, we should first give it the opportunity to achieve the program that it presented to the Palestinian public opinion according to which it was elected. From the very beginning, this government have been facing difficulties and obstacles; these difficulties are put by foreign powers topped by The United States of America, regional powers and some local powers; what we are witnessing nowadays- attempts to explode the security situation, exhausting the government and drying financial resources- made us want the government to succeed; what is required, objectively speaking, is giving it the opportunity to carry out its agenda.
Undoubtedly, there a political situation that we must recognize: that the Palestinian Authority President isn’t authorized to dissolve the Legislative Council and there is no law that authorizes him to do so; any coming government must be given a yes-confidence by the Legislative Council; the presence of Hamas majority in the Legislative Council according to a popular choice puts the Palestinian authority in a dilemma as its presence in the Legislative Council can’t be ignored.
We are, definitely, suffering under the occupation and the people prove every day that they chose the resistance agenda and method despite the circumstances that they suffer from, taking into consideration the fact that the Israeli occupation stands behind the real suffering of the Palestinian people.
We- in Hamas movement- will take into consideration, while dealing with these matters, interests of the Palestinian people who gave us a full confidence.
There are suggestions of presidential and legislative elections but speaking about these matters is still very early and they won’t take place except on a popular approval.

Some voices say Fatah can pass what it wants in the Legislative Coucil while Hamas movement MPs are arrested?

We spoke about a network to guarantee Hamas majority; I think that if Fatah Movement can remove Hamas, it would do this; the indications that prove what I say are several: all the disorders happening in the Palestinian territories are done by groups from Fatah Movement .
As for surpassing Hamas majority in the Legislative Council, it is very difficult and complicated; if Fatah did this, it will have a very bd rating in the Palestinian public opinion which will consider Fatah Movement an extension of the Israeli occupation that collaborates with it, aggravating the Fatah Movement’s attitude regarding this option .
Actually, several sides try to make use of the current Palestinian situation, but Hamas strategy and the current security conditions complicate the issue more; these difficulties are faced by all sides..
Speaking about the Zionist entity, there are voices that strongly demand holding a dialogue with the national unity government and Hamas movement while Olmert’s popularity reaches its lower rates and lacks new political leaders.
As for The United States of America, its plan failed in Iraq, Afghanistan and finally Lebanon and its success in Palestine is very largely doubted.

Some think that recognizing Israel is a solution and is something which is not against achieving the future targets of the Palestinians?

- First, I think that these conditions for recognizing the Israeli government will not be enough for them, and they will ask Hamas movement to do more steps; this happened with Yasser Arafat in his political course; he was asked to do something; when he do them, he was demanded to carry out others. This is the first move required from Hamas movement, if it carried out these conditions, it will be asked to do other conditions. Hamas movement should learn from previous experiences and not to repeat their mistakes. There is experience which we are witnessing: the previous governments addressed the conditions imposed on them, leading to nothing as an independent Palestinian state wasn’t established in The West Bank and the displaced Palestinian refugees haven’t returned to their houses until now, and the Israeli aggression continues on the Palestinian people: Hamas is asked to follow the same course followed by its precedents. Hamas movement will not repeat the lost experiences that harmed the Palestinian people.
Recognizing Israel is not the way for a Palestinian salvation as seen by some; it is the way to eliminate the Palestinian cause. They want us to recognize Israel; then, what are Israel’s borders that they want us to recognize; the Arab Initiative demanded recognizing 67 borders while the Israeli Foreign Minister refused this, saying Israel can not approve 1967 borders; also, they say that the Golan is within Israel’s borders; then what are Israel’s borders so as to be able to recognize them.
 
Does this mean that Hamas government is in a political dilemma ?

- The entire political Palestinian status quo is in a political dilemma, and- objectively speaking- I say that Hamas movement is the first side to be in this dilemma; the other sides also live in a dilemma because uprooting this government which has a great popularity that it got through the ballot boxes frightens those sides and puts them in a severe dilemma, especially that these sides do not have the legal instruments through which they can overthrow the Palestinian government .
One year after ascending rule, how do you evaluate your relation with the Palestinian people and Arab regimes ?
- Hamas still keeps its popularity and the elections that have recently taken place in Gaza Strip in some Union headquarters proved that through statistics a wide section of the Palestinian people still supports Hamas movement, and that the crisis that faces the government did not hurt Hamas popularity, and that the government did its best but the problems on the ground are bigger and conspiracies beleaguer it.

Describe Hamas government’s relation with Arab and Islamic countries?

- It is based on the policy of restoring relations, and the Arab and Islamic Nation is the strategic depth of the Palestinian state; this was apparent through the tour we carried out after Hamas winning to Arab and Islamic countries and we were welcomed despite political differences.

Some wonder where are Al-Qassam Brigades since Hamas reached power; has it abandoned the resistance program?

The resistance in occupied Palestinian territories is the one that forced the Zionist enemy to dismantle the settlements that it established in Gaza Strip; the resistance is a strategic option; this applies to the Lebanese resistance, as the Lebanese resistance faced the Zionist aggression and dealt it big losses. Also, the Israeli aggression hasn’t stopped for even one single moment; we know that this is the cost of resistance.
The resistance carried out an operation which wasn’t carried out before in the resistance history: Operation Scattered Illusion on 25/6/2006; the resistance is present, but it has its calculations and the conditions of its operations.

What about the Israeli captured soldier Gilad Shlit, how is the negotiations to release him?

Concerning the soldier, there is an Egyptian mediation which is very active in this topic, and I think a prisoner swap is approved, but the current wordings are not accepted in terms of the number of Palestinian prisoners; there is no approval so far on the part the groups that captured the Israeli soldier and I hope that this operation will end soon according to what serves the Palestinian cause.