Posted on 03/23/2006 2:32:19 PM PST by Nachum
The Hamas terror group, as part of its new role as head of the Palestinian Authority, when presented in a conciliatory light in Western media, denies in Arabic, statements heralded as moderate.
Ismail Haniyah of Hamas told CBS on March 16th that he hoped to some day sign a peace agreement with Israel. In his CBS interview, Haniyah said that he was "seeking a peace settlement and stability in this region," "looking forward to peace and tranquility in this region," and "seeking American administration to create this missing peace."
According to a subsequent article in Al Hayat Al Jadida – translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), "[Hamas] Member of Parliament Mushir Al-Masri denied what was reported in various places in the media about Hamas abandoning its principles, relying on statements attributed to the Prime Minister designate, Ismail Haniyah, according to which he hopes that a peace treaty will be signed with the Israelis. He said that these statements, released on CBS, are unfounded [lit: naked of all truth]. Al-Masri said that these matters are part of a crazy campaign which aims at embarrassing and confusing the Palestinian arena and undermining the trust of the masses in Hamas movement… He added: ‘the Palestinian media grasps that this campaign should not be related to… and it understands that America endeavors to undermine the [Hamas] movement in the eyes of the Palestinian people…’ As to the PM's statements, which have been distorted, Al-Masri said: ‘the American channel [CBS] broadcast that Sheikh Ismail Haniyah had said in an interview that he hoped that a treaty with Israel would be signed in the White House. I believe that the basis for the controversy over the [Hamas] political plan are the [peace] agreements, which in our opinion bring no benefit…’”
PMW Director Itamar Marcus said that Hamas’ behavior is not surprising. “It should be noted that the reason for this strong rejection of the willingness for peace with Israel is that it violates the most basic tenet of Hamas' belief, that Islam demands the destruction of Israel,” he said. “Article 13 of the Hamas charter states: ". . . Renouncing any part of Palestine [i.e. accepting Israel] means renouncing part of the religion." Hamas would have to scrap and recreate the basis of its religious ideology to accept Israel.
It should be noted that while former PLO Yassir Arafat would regularly make overtures toward compromise in English, while expressing the opposite in Arabic, Hamas has refused to do so on the same scale. This has not stopped Western journalists from trying to detect and broadcast moderation in the Hamas leadership's stance following its landslide election victory.
Sounds like they should have Egyptian Coptic Christians or Lebanese Christians on staff. People who speak Arabic, but have no love for Islam
Hamas press release in English: "We will brutally murder all Christians and Jews without mercy, disembowelling children, raping and slaughtering all women, and blowing up anything that moves with homicide bombers, Allah be praised."
A Muslim is under no religious obligation to tell the truth or deal fairly with a non-Muslim. The opposite is in fact true: Muslims consider themselves at war with the non-Muslim world, and anything is justified if it advances Islam at the cost of non-Islam
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss (Yassir Arafat that is...)
You said -- "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss (Yassir Arafat that is...)"
It's like -- "Meet the new Islamic terrorist; same as the old Islamic terrorist."
Regards,
Star Traveler
You mean they are two-faced liars? You don't say!? Well that's the next to the next to the next to the next to the last straw!
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