Aziz Dwaik, Senior Hamas Member, Reportedly Says Hamas Ready To Accept Israel's Right To Exist

Jerusalem Post:

Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik, Hamas's most senior representative in the West Bank, said on Wednesday.

Read the whole story: Jerusalem Post

Comments

[bermanator]

01:28 AM on 01/23/2010

From Khaled Meshaal, Hamas Head, earlier today:

"We will not change until we have achieved the rights of our refugees outside Palestine and liberation of occupied territories… and we will never recognize the Zionist entity,"

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116796§ionid=351020202

[hemara]

07:00 AM on 01/23/2010

PressTV - wow what a reputable news source.

[bermanator]

09:19 AM on 01/23/2010

If they've been misquoted, I'd like to see Hamas ask for a correction.

Otherwise, you're just making assumptions.

Denial much?

[Oleg1]

01:06 PM on 01/22/2010

Ben Gurion is one of the greatest leaders of the Twentieth century.
Due to his vision and work of countless Israelis and Jews, they succeeded in established a very successful democratic state which is the envy of the Middle East in the standard of living, education, social services, educational standards and thriving economy.
Yes, it is difficult for many to accept this reality. It is understandable it rankles that previously weak and look down upon Jews emerging from the European and Middle Eastern ghettos and dhimmitude
to build a powerful and successful state. And despite all the efforts of their neighbors to destroy it.

[Aziat]

12:40 PM on 01/22/2010

A couple of questions to the anti-Israel lot: What do you hope to accomplish by constantly villifying and demonizing Israel and Israelis? Do you think that it is beneficial for peace to constantly attack one side in a very complicated conflict? Do you think that the Palestinians are always in the right and the Israelis are always in the wrong?

[Oleg1]

01:50 PM on 01/22/2010

What do you hope to accomplish by constantly vilifying and demonizing Israel and Israelis?

It is about a narrative.
1. it is cognitively and psychologically difficult ( and fro some impossible) for many to accept the reality of a powerful and successful Jewish state.
The millennia- old stereotype of a weak Jew who can be pushed around any each way is permanently etched within Islamic (and especially Arab) narrative.
During Six Day War Nasser refused to accept the fact that Jews have beaten his army. in recorded conversation with Jordanian king they agreed to Dei ex Machina reason for defeat.

Privately Arabs grudgingly acknowledge the amazing successes achieve by Israel, But publicly it is difficult to go against the stereotype.

2. Arabic religious imperialist narrative cannot be easily reconciled with a existence of non-Islamic state deep within the Middle East. There is still the ceaseless sermons about 11th Century Crusades!
Now imagine a successful Western-style state smack in the middle of grinding poverty and malaise. Not easy to adopt to.

[skialethia]

02:53 AM on 01/22/2010

I’m not surprised that the Israeli apologists are dismissing Dwaik’s statement. Why wouldn't they? It would remove the best excuse they have to keep obstructing the creation of a Palestinian state. Instead of viewing this as a hopeful sign, they see the glass half empty; and choose to spin this into something negative.

Netanyahu always refused to endorse a Palestinian state. Hamas is starting unofficially to accept the state of Israel; but Israel refuses to accept a Palestinian state. Therefore, we must assume that all along the reason they never negotiated in good faith, returning to the pre-67 borders, is because they refuse to accept a Palestinian state; this is the basis for all their actions: for their inability to surrender land that they plundered; their ongoing theft of more land, their military oppression; their wall that renders Palestinians "out of sight; out of mind"; their blockade of humanitarian aid and reconstruction aid destined for Gaza; their silencing of peaceful protesters with aggressive tactics and prison; and banning NGO's from working in the Palestinian territories, while Israel continues to deprive these people of human and legal rights. All this spells one thing: apartheid.

If Israel were serious about peace, it would release Marwan Barghouti, who can represent both Fatah and Hamas in the negotiations and who Palestinians trust to negotiate on their behalf, but unfortunately, Israel is not serious about peace.

[ScienceFTW]

08:29 AM on 01/22/2010

Dwaik is dismissing his alleged statements.

http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Palestine/259802

HUFFP0 do you job.. post the follow up already.

[Oleg1]

01:14 PM on 01/22/2010

"Hamas on Thursday denied a report in an Israeli newspaper that the Resistance Movement is ready to accept Israel's right to exist."

The whole Zionist vision was to build a powerful and successful state where Jews can live in (relativer) safety. And free from caprices and changing moods of various PLOs, Hamas, Husseins, Nassers, Ahmadinejads bishop Williamsons, Stalins and Brzezinskis of the world..
Mission accomplished.

[Oleg1]

04:18 PM on 01/22/2010

2006
[Hamas will] never recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state that was founded on our land."
Khaled Mashaal, Hamas leader,quoted February 3, 2006, Al-Hayyat al-Jedida.

2010
"Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter..."

So why such sudden rationality? ---Operation Cast Lead.

[bermanator]

04:27 PM on 01/22/2010

"So why such sudden rationality? ---Operation Cast Lead."

Exactly right. Hamas can now be found literally begging the other terror factions to halt their firing of rockets into Israel, warning of the "harsh Zionist response".

[Oleg1]

02:31 AM on 01/22/2010

Time magazine article, Monday, Aug. 16, 1948

The Jews beat the Arabs.

Out of the concentration camps, ghettoes, banks, courtrooms, theaters and factories of Europe the Chosen People had assembled and had won their first great military victory since Judas Maccabeus* beat the Syrian Nicanor at Adasa 2,109 years ago.

Although, in years to come, fighting might break out again & again, its probable pattern was fixed: the Jews were too tough, too smart and too vigorous for the divided and debilitated Arab world to conquer.

As the U.N. truce settled on Palestine last week it seemed probable that the new state of Israel, already recognized by 15 nations, would seek and get U.N. membership at next fall's meeting in Paris. "

[omobob]

03:04 PM on 01/22/2010

Kinda left out the whole Palestian Revolt where Jewish criminals bombed British Police Srations and the KIng David Hotel. Or the fact that the europeans were illegally immegtrating to Palestine. But most supporters of the Jewish Homeland usually do.

[Inoku]

10:38 PM on 01/22/2010

Are you seriously complaining about Jews illegally emigrating to Palestine from Nazi Europe?

[Yasin Steiert]

12:11 AM on 01/27/2010

ill give you that military wise. the Israeli army is definitely a fairly formidable and powerful army

[Oleg1]

02:28 AM on 01/22/2010

David Ben Gurion Time magazien interview,
Monday, Aug. 16, 1948
"Such men as Ben-Gurion see the Israel of tomorrow as an industrial, trading and organizing nation leading the whole Middle East to new levels of productivity."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,798932-5,00.html#ixzz0dK8JqK7q

Mission accomplished. Ben Gurion's dreams are now a reality.

[bermanator]

03:31 AM on 01/22/2010

From the same article:

"The Western world tends to think of the Arab as a falcon-eyed warrior on a white horse. That Arab is still around, but he is far less numerous than the disease-ridden wretches who lie in the hot streets, too weak, sick and purposeless to roll over into the shade.

The Arabs, no less than the Jews, are victims of history. Four centuries of Turkish rule hurt them at least as badly as a decade of Naziism hurt the Jews. Now, in their morning of independence, the Arabs have suffered defeat at the hands of a small, despised people. It rankles."

[lbsaltzman]

10:48 AM on 01/22/2010

All Ben-Gurion succeeded in doing is establishing a state on land stolen from the indigenous people of that land. He laid the groundwork for future Israeli excesses and war crimes, and created a pariah state in the Middle East.

[Oleg1]

03:44 PM on 01/22/2010

To those dedicated to the Islamist imperial perspective any non-Muslim state in the Middle East is an anathema. Get used to it.

[Oleg1]

02:10 AM on 01/22/2010

No Arab ruler will consider the peace process seriously so long as he is able to toy with the idea of achieving more by the way of violence.
Yitzhak Rabin

[Oleg1]

02:05 AM on 01/22/2010

There are eleven million Jews in the world. I don't say that all of them will come here, but I expect several million, and with natural increase I can quite imagine a Jewish state of ten million.
David Ben-Gurion
ALMOST THERE!!!!

[Yasin Steiert]

12:04 AM on 01/27/2010

yea well theres 1.57 billion muslims and islam is the fastest growing religion and there are 2.2 billion christians. HMMMM. not almost there bro. keep dreaming

[skialethia]

12:45 AM on 01/22/2010

I’m not surprised that the Israeli apologists are dismissing this statement. Why wouldn't they? It would remove the best excuse they have to keep obstructing the creation of a Palestinian state. Instead of viewing this as a hopeful sign, they see the glass half empty; and choose to spin this into something negative.

Netanyahu has always refused to endorse a Palestinian state. Hamas is starting unofficially to accept the state of Israel; but Israel refuses to accept a Palestinian state. Therefore, we must assume that all along the reason they never negotiated in good faith, returning to the pre-67 borders, is because they refuse to accept a Palestinian state; this is the basis for all their actions: for their inability to surrender land that they plundered; their ongoing theft of more land, their military oppression; their wall that renders Palestinians "out of sight; out of mind"; their blockade of humanitarian aid and reconstruction aid destined for Gaza; their silencing of peaceful protesters with aggression and prison; and banning NGO's from working in the Palestinian territories, while Israel continues to deprive these people of human and legal rights. All this spells one thing: apartheid. This is the conclusion of all the fore-mentioned injustice.

If Israel were serious about peace, it would release Marwan Barghouti, who can represent both Fatah and Hamas in the negotiations and who Palestinians trust to negotiate on their behalf, but unfortunately, Israel is not serious about peace.

[omobob]

11:14 PM on 01/21/2010

"I don't understand your optimism. Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country." – David Ben Gurion, 1956, quoted by Nahum Goldmann in The Jewish Paradox, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1978, p.99.

[bermanator]

11:33 PM on 01/21/2010

That isn't the whole quote, it's completely out of context. Ben-Gurion was describing the Arab viewpoint, but certainly wasn't endorsing it.

"I don't understand your optimism. Why should the Arabs make peace? If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it's true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been antisemitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? They may perhaps forget in one or two generations' time, but for the moment there is no chance. So, it's simple: we have to stay strong and maintain a powerful army. Our whole policy is there. Otherwise the Arabs will wipe us out."

[juicyju]

12:10 AM on 01/22/2010

:)

[skialethia]

01:02 AM on 01/22/2010

So what does he say in essence? He recognizes the injustice that the Palestinians were forced to suffer, and even states "If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel." He would never allow someone to do the same to him. At least he admits that he understands how Palestinians feel since he would feel the same.

He recognizes that something created on the back of injustice will naturally breed resentment and require a lot of protection.

Lucky for Israel, that the Palestinians whose spirit has been crushed repeatedly by Israel finally accept their lot and just want a state of their own and to be left in peace!

[Oleg1]

02:04 AM on 01/22/2010

I want to make it clear that I have no doubt as to the historical justification and moral validity of Zionism. The concentration of a large part of the Jewish people in their own national home, where they are masters of their destiny, seems to me to be the only way to solve what has been called for centuries "the Jewish problem."
Nahum Goldmann i

[Albert Amato]

01:18 PM on 01/22/2010

Bravo.

[omobob]

03:08 PM on 01/22/2010

Over the bodies of those who lived there before the illegal mimmegration and subsequent criminal bombing campaign so often over looked by those who feel the ends justifies the means. Hardly the high moral ground form which Israel pretends to be the victim.

[riff4u]

06:52 PM on 01/21/2010

That's funny since Hamas was a creation of Israel during the 1980's to act as wedge between Arafat's Fatah movement.

[juicyju]

09:00 PM on 01/21/2010

Why is it funny that Hamas went from a social welfare organization to a terrorist group?

[CigarGod]

10:27 PM on 01/21/2010

Actually, they are still a social welfare organization (as well as terror, freedom fighter, etc).
Only 32 countries in the world classify Hamas as a terrorist organization; all of them white countries...except Japan.

[bermanator]

11:29 PM on 01/21/2010

Other way around, JJ.

They were terrorists before they started pretending to help other Palestinians.

[ScienceFTW]

05:02 PM on 01/21/2010

"Dwaik told Hamas website on Thursday that the report was "inaccurate". According to him, Hamas will never recognize the occupation on Palestinian lands. Dr. Dwaik stated he told Abrahams that the PLO abolished its charter following the agreements with Israel but the Palestinian people didn't benefit from this move."

since huff post won't report it.

http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Palestine/259802

[juicyju]

10:56 PM on 01/21/2010

Thanks, H P never publishes the follow-ups.

[lbsaltzman]

04:29 PM on 01/21/2010

The more important question is whether Israel is finally ready to recognize Palestine's right to exist?

[Hedonist]

06:41 PM on 01/21/2010

Israel has already agreed to that. Resolution 181, which passed on November 29, 1947, was accepted by Israel.

[omobob]

07:01 PM on 01/21/2010

You are joking, right? Would you be happy camping in the backyard after some one stole yor home?

[omobob]

03:45 PM on 01/21/2010

Netanyahu sealed his opposition to a two state solution in Israel when he choose anti-arab Lieberman to be Foreign Minister. Bibi is not interested.

[mommamia526]

02:58 PM on 01/21/2010

Well, take a look at what else is posted under the picture here. Hamas does NOT...etc. Worth reading. There is also a report about financial issues between Iz Ad-Din Al-Kassam, the terror wing of Hamas and the Office of Ismail Haniyah. And, ...an article appeared, I believe in the Arab Times of Kuwait, by Ahmed Al-Jarallah, titled: "Stop Trading in Arab Blood". So, all sorts of things going on. Splitting, splitting and more splitting, and no unity among Palestinians, or Palestinians and other Arabs. A country for Palestinians, with a Jordan population of 80% being Palestinian, contingents of refugees in Jordan, in Lebanon and elsewhere. Hope is a good thing, but I am not holding my breath. And there is also the admission from President Obama that he had underestimated the difficulties of achieving Peace. For Israel, the best thing would, indeed, be Peace with all of its neighbors. Question is, is that something Palestinians desire, or Iranians? Remember, both Hezbullah and Hamas are supported by Iran.