Cat and mouse
Cat and mouse
Hamas astuteness means it’s no longer clear who’s chasing who, argues Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah
Hamas has been signaling its willingness to help, or at least refrain from obstructing, American-led efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and creating a Palestinian state on territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
Last week, the Gaza-based Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh held a "cordial meeting" with visiting former US president Jimmy Carter. Carter toured the coastal territory, inspecting the havoc wreaked by Israel during its blitz against the blockaded enclave.
Haniyeh told Carter that Hamas would not seek to impede or frustrate any genuine efforts aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and achieving peace. "We are the longest- suffering people in this world. We are killed, maimed, humiliated and savaged on a daily basis. Hence, no one else longs for peace more than we do. But it has to be a dignified peace based on justice and human rights," said Haniyeh through an interpreter. "We say so, because for peace to be genuine and durable, it has to be based on justice."