Hamas: Don't believe al Qaeda

We're still committed to Israel's destruction.

Reuters reports that Hamas is objecting to yesterday's criticisms by al Qaeda that it is, "[now] serving U.S. interests by agreeing to respect past Palestinian peace accords with Israel":

"We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine," Hamas said in a statement, in a clear reference to Israel as well as to the occupied West Bank.

Al Qaeda second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, said in an Internet statement on Sunday that by agreeing last month in Mecca to respect earlier agreements forged between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Hamas, now the ruling party in the PA, had betrayed its original purpose to restore the land that is today Israel back to the domain of Islam.

Saudi Arabia had brokered the Mecca accord in hopes that it would bring about an end to the inter-Palestinian fighting that has claimed the lives of some 90 Palestinians in recent months.

As far as Zawahiri was concerned, however, the Mecca accord was no more than "an American scheme....to remove the biggest reason for Muslim hatred (of the United States), namely the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"They [Hamas] have ditched the movement of martyrdom operations ... for a government that plays with words in palace halls," the al Qaeda leader said in his Internet statement.

In response to Zawahiri's criticisms, Hamas issued a statement saying:

"Zawahri's recent statements were wrong ...Hamas is still the group you knew when it was founded and it will never abandon its path."

Hamas was apparently referring to the principles it set out in its "founding covenant."

In Article 11, for example, Hamas spells out exactly why it can never accept a permanent Jewish state in the land it calls Palestine:

The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day.

I personally don't think you can even begin to understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict until you read the Hamas charter in its entirety. The covenant will give you a flavor of why Hamas believes that the Jews must be opposed. For example, there are the reasons stated in Article 22:

For a long time, the enemies [i.e., the Jews] have been planning, skillfully and with precision, for the achievement of what they have attained. They took into consideration the causes affecting the current of events. They strived to amass great and substantive material wealth which they devoted to the realisation of their dream. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries inorder to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there.

You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making
financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.

And there's more. In Article 28:

The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism andaccording to its instructions. They aim at undermining societies, destroying values, corrupting consciences, deteriorating character and annihilating Islam. It is behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds so as to facilitate its control and expansion.

But again, read the whole thing. It will explain a lot. And don't forget, this is the charter of the organization that now controls a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legislature.