A Less Extreme Hamas Leader Would be Better for Israel!
February 12, 2006
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
The Hamas Gaza leader Mahmoud a-Zahar is a died-in-the-wool “wipe out Israel” terrorist leader, who will not accept Israel in the land at any cost. He is a man with such deep imbedded hatred for Israel that even a “relative” time of “peace and safety” would be difficult for Israel to say was in place.
According to the DEBKAfile Exclusive, which follows, he may not be physically able to maintain his leadership position in Hamas much longer. A change in leadership is likely to produce a less extreme position toward a “long time” truce with Israel on terrorist acts.
Such a truce (a hulda) would leave Israel with only the Islamic Jihad and the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades to contend with, the two groups currently giving Israel trouble while Hamas regroups after winning the election.
BEGIN DEBKAfile REPORT
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Hamas Gaza leader Mahmoud a-Zahar is gravely ill with intestinal cancer. His illness has slowed down the Cairo talks with Hamas leaders on a Palestinian government
February 8, 2006, 2:15 PM (GMT+02:00)
A-Zahar was diagnosed with an advanced case before last month’s Palestinian elections but he kept it secret from Palestinian voters. He is now under treatment at the Cairo military hospital.
DEBKAfile sources report that Egyptian and Palestinian doctors attending him are pessimistic about his chances of recovery.
The Islamic terror group’s senior executive in Gaza, a-Zahar is a rigid hard-liner on relations with the United States and Israel and his movements commitment to armed violence against Israel until its destruction. He is not afraid of a showdown on these issues with the Egyptian mediators of an acceptable US-backed solution that will bring Hamas to government. He is also prepared to defy the Damascus-based Hamas politburo chiefs, Khaled Mashaal and Mussa Marzouk.
Ismail Haniya, the second in line for the primacy in Gaza after a-Zahar, is not present at the Cairo negotiations.
His public tone is generally more yielding and diplomatic than that of the ailing leader, although his objectives are as absolutist and extremist. But he is believed to be more amenable to pragmatic steps if he believes they will lead eventually to Hamas’ cherished goals. This tendency and A-Zahar’s illness have encouraged the Americans and Egyptians to build on the prospects of a formula that will let Hamas into a government with which Israel can be asked to live, or at least conduct routine day-to-day affairs. Khaled Mashaal’s statement to the BBC Wednesday, Feb.
8, was the first outcome of this amended approach. He offered a message to the next Israeli government that Hamas would be ready to talk if Israel met certain strict conditions.
The most important of these was its pullback to the pre-1967 boundaries. This willingness, he said, would be taken as Israeli recognition of the rights of the Palestinians and the Hamas would “possibly give Israel a long-term truce,” while not renouncing violence.
DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report that Mashaal’s words responded to the proposal Egyptian intelligence minister placed before Mashaal and a-Zahar Tuesday, Feb. 7 with backing from Washington: Hamas must accept a back-seat, wire-puller role in Palestinian government and enter into a long-term truce lasting 10-15 years.
The proposition was placed before Hamas leaders as an Egyptian ultimatum.
END DEBKAfile REPORT
SATURDAY UPDATED INFORMATION
February 11, 2006
The London based Asharq Al-Awsat reported today that Hamas has decided to name Ismail Haniyeh Prime Minister in the new Palestinian Authority government.
The reason given for his appointment was that leaders in the West Bank and abroad preferred him as Prine Minister Mahmoud A-Zahr, who is considered more radical.
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