June 24, 2007
Hamas Hardliner Calls for Islamic state
in Gaza
Berlin
A leading Hamas hardliner has called for an Islamic state in the
Gaza Strip and threatened rival Fatah with more violence in the West
Bank, according to a German magazine interview Sunday.
Hamas is also ready to talk to Israel about trade and humanitarian
issues, but not about politics, the Islamic group's co-founder,
Mahmoud Zahar, told the online edition of Der Spiegel news magazine.
Asked whether Hamas wants to establish an Islamic state in Gaza
after ousting Fatah from the territory earlier this month, Zahar
said: "Of course. We want to do that, but with full support of the
people.
"At the moment we can't establish an Islamic state because we
Palestinians have no state. As long as we don't have a state, we
will try to form an Islamic society," Zahar added.
On Hamas' future relationship to Israel, he said the group was
prepared to speak with the Israelis over trade and cross-border
issues, pointing out that Israel loses two million dollars in
business every day the border stays closed.
"We won't discuss politics," he added, "because the Israelis have no
political agenda with us."
A staunch opponent of Israel, Zahar served as foreign minister in
the Hamas-dominated cabinet, but was recalled in March 2007 after
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed a unity government
between Fatah and Hamas.
Asked what will improve for the people of Gaza now that Hamas is in
control he replied: "The good thing is that we can now collect
information about our enemies and informants from foreign powers. We
will look for Israel's spies," he said in an apparent reference to
Fatah members.
But he warned that Hamas activists would defend themselves against
Fatah the same way they defended themselves against the Israeli
occupation - with bombs and attacks.
"In Gaza we have beaten those elements that collaborate with Israel.
We have beaten everyone who represented an obstacle," he said.
The future of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship is the subject of
a four-way summit Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm
el-Sheikh.
The gathering will include Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
but freezes out the leaders of Hamas.
After Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in a street war against
gunmen loyal to Abbas' Fatah party, the Palestinian president
dismissed Hamas members of the Palestinian government and installed
an emergency cabinet of his own to consolidate Fatah's control of
the West Bank.
Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, was
founded in the 1980s by members of the Egyptian-based Muslim
Brotherhood.
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