Asked whether the timing of the appeal to Hamas from the network led by Osama Bin Laden had made Hamas leaders uncomfortable, Nazzal said only that Zawahiri "has the right to express his opinion".
"We believe in free thinking and free opinion," he said. "We can't suppress any opinion against our own opinion."
Hamas: Fighting for political liberalism since five hours ago.
The source is the Daily Times of Pakistan--I'm not sure how credible they are. But the quote itself comes from AFP, which is credible, so I feel comfortable running it.
The main thrust of the story, anyway, is that Hamas will do whatever it feels is in the interest of Palestine, regardless of whether al-Qaeda likes it or not. The Hamas official's position also seemed quite positive:
We are saying 'yes' to peace. We are saying 'yes' to building relations with the international community. We are saying 'yes' to anything we feel will be in the interest of the Palestinian people.
I'm still putting my money on the peace rhetoric being political posturing, coming as it did while a Hamas delegation was visiting Russia (Putin shows once more why he's not ready to join the West). But the brush-off of al-Qaeda I think may be more genuine. I think Hamas has no interest in becoming a subsidiary of al-Qaeda's war on the West, seeing its conflict as separate and also seeing itself as a far more effective organization at achieving its ends than al-Qaeda ever will be.
Anyway, interesting stuff.
3 comments:
"...while a Hamas delegation was visiting Russia (Putin shows once more why he's not ready to join the West)"
Well now, that really does beg the question, huh!
What is the "West" doing to establish some form of relationship with the new Palestine government? Other of course than telling Hamas that they are a bunch of criminals and should all be lined up against the wall and shot. Surely, as the democratically and validly elected government of Palestine it behoves the "West" to sit with Hamas and form some level of contact and understanding at least?
Perhaps that is why Putin is "not ready to join the West." He has not yet reached the required level of objectivism.
No. The correct way to handle people who disagree or oppose is to turn your back and pretend they do not exist.
Being a Democratic state does not give the US a prima facia obligation to like or even support you. Hamas is a terrorist organization. It continues to support terrorist policies, and continues to support to obliteration of the state of Israel. We have no obligation to "understand" that. They have an obligation to understand that Jews are persons with full rights under the international community.
This is the distinction TP. We disagree. But we still speak. That's good. But if you decided that you wanted to slaughter all the Xites tommorow, I would neither speak with you nor understand you. There's a qualitative difference between disagreeing on ordinary political disputes, and disagreeing on a certain people's right to exist. There are some lines we cannot cross if we're to maintain our status as moral persons.
If we're going to draw any line at all on entering the community of nations, they haven't met it. The obligation is incumbant on them to start being humans (with all the moral responsibility that goes with the term), not on us to understand inhumanity.
Exactly.
It is as I said -
[Irony active]
"The correct way to handle people who disagree or oppose is to turn your back and pretend they do not exist."
[Turns off irony]
"Understanding" is a two way street in my mind. It is as much being sure that you understand where I stand, as well as my understanding of where you stand. That in no way implies acceptance, support or even slight moral approval.
What is important is that you are able to convey to me, as you have done in your reply, exactly where you stand. If you turn your back on me and walk away, how am I to know what you think? All that I would receive is the impression that you are stone deaf and have your hearing aid turned off, or that you are just extremely rude and arrogant.
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