The
following are excerpts from an address by Hamas
leader Khaled Mash’al at a press conference that
aired on Al-Jazeera TV.
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Hamas Leader Khaled
Mash'al: "Some people believe it is
impossible to combine resistance with politics.
As long as we are an occupied people, resistance
is our natural right."
[…]
"I say to the American administration, to the
Europeans, and the international community,
which make all these demands, like stopping the
resistance - or stopping 'terrorism,' as they
call it - and to disarm… I say to them: If you
have a problem with the factions' weapons, we
are prepared to unite the Palestinian weapons
based on Palestinian understandings, and to form
an army, like any other country, even though our
country is not yet independent. We will form an
army like all independent countries. We will
conduct reforms within our society, with
democracy, pluralism, with partnership, and
clean administration, which are the slogans of
international and Western society, and at the
same time, we will have an army, which will
protect our people from aggression and will
strive to recapture Palestinian rights. Other
countries have this, so why should the
Palestinians be deprived of this? There is no
contradiction between the two. As for the PLO,
as I have said, for some time we have been
striving to rebuild the organization. We will
move faster, reach understandings with our
brothers in the PLO. We are all convinced of the
need to reform and revive the PLO, so it can
become a Palestinian home for all, and a source
of authority, in and out of [the Palestinian
territories]."
[…]
"The Palestinian people has chosen Hamas with
its known stances. If America wants to negotiate
with Hamas - it is most welcome, but based on
the positions for which the people chose us. If
Europe wants to negotiate with Hamas - it is
most welcome, but based on the choice of the
Palestinian people. However, they must not
impose conditions on us. Our internal affairs
must not be subject to extortion and external
pressure."
[…]
"The Legislative Council is one of the Oslo
Accords' political frameworks, but the Oslo plan
is over. It is no longer effective, and no one
follows it anymore, and I don't think our people
will accept the revival of Oslo, after it has
been buried and eulogized by all."
[…]
"We will not accept any formula that undermines
some or all of our rights. In other words, we
are committed to the liberation of the land and
to Jerusalem. We will not agree to any kind of
disregard [of our right] to Jerusalem. We are
more committed to Jerusalem than Sharon and the
enemy leaders. We are committed to the right of
return and to our rejection of the settlements.
We are committed to the resistance and adhere to
its weapons. These are our choices and our
fundamental principles, which the Palestinian
people supported even before the elections. In
the elections, I believe, the Palestinian people
clearly demonstrated this support, in a
democratic manner. No one should accuse us of
being out of line or singing out of tune. There
are internal Palestinian agreements. True, the
Palestinian Authority was founded on the basis
of the Oslo Accords. We recognize that this is a
reality, and we will deal with it with the
utmost realism, but without neglecting our
fundamental principles and our rights. We will
honor any agreement or commitment, as long as
they benefit our people and do not infringe upon
its rights. In other words, we will honor our
Palestinian commitments, provided they serve our
people and do not infringe upon its rights, and
we will not accept dictates. This is, very
clearly, our position. We are capable of
maintaining this position, despite all the
pressure. As for recognizing [Israel] and
amending our charter - Hamas is not the kind of
movement that succumbs to pressure. The
occupation has no legitimacy. We will not
recognize it, no matter how much time passes. We
will never recognize the occupation as
legitimate, and we will not give up on our
rights. However, we are realistic, and we know
things are done gradually, in stages."
[...]
"America may not recognize a certain country,
yet it succumbs to reality. Today we, the
Palestinians, do not recognize the legitimacy of
the occupation, but this does not mean I want to
abolish Israel in a matter of moments. I have a
plan of commitment to my land and my rights."
[...]
"Succumbing to the will and pressure of others
is unacceptable, but by our own decision, we can
either calm or escalate the situation, depending
on what is required at each stage. But if anyone
expects Hamas to agree to take steps that it
would not agree to in the past, I say clearly,
brothers and sisters: We will not withdraw from
our fundamental principles, from our rights and
our strategic goals. The map of Palestine, for
any Hamas member and for any Palestinian, is the
well-known Palestinian map, just like any
European or American - if you ask him about his
country's map, he says to you: 'My country's map
is this and that...' When they bring us someone
from Europe or America who is willing to give up
his country's map, and accepts a distorted map -
come back to us then. The Palestinian rights
remain intact. But we believe in acting
according to stages, gradually and
realistically, and we have the ability to obtain
our rights, step by step. We will establish our
state on any piece of land we liberate,
providing we have real sovereignty over this
land, Allah willing."
[...]
"Our presence in the Legislative Council and in
the Palestinian political system will strengthen
and protect the resistance, and not harm it. I
do not agree that there is a dispute over the
resistance. Resistance, in all monotheistic
religions, and in international laws and
conventions, is the right of any people subject
to occupation."
[...]
"If people raise the issue of targeting
civilians - we have said and we continue to say
that when our enemy stops targeting civilians,
we will make the same commitment. Ten years ago,
we made such an initiative, but Israel rejected
it. That is why we must respond in kind.
Resistance will remain a possible option, which
enjoys international consent."
[...]
"There is a difference between regarding the
period of calm as divergence from the resistance
- which will never happen - and regarding the
period of calm as one of the tactics of the
resistance."
