Constructive Ambiguity

Answers for all, substance for none.

“Constructive ambiguity,” is how Hamas officials brand their new policy.

But potential allies, donors, enemies and ordinary Palestinians are yet to be convinced by Hamas’s subtle changes of language and emphasis since its shock election victory set it on course to form a government.

“Hamas has presented answers to all issues but it did not actually answer anything,” said political analyst Hani Habib. ”On the contrary, it has raised more questions.”

On the one hand, Hamas has been trying to give some ground to persuade Abbas’s defeated Fatah movement and other factions to join its coalition and in the hope of winning diplomatic openings and money from abroad.

On the other, it does not want to abandon fundamental policies rooted in religious belief and shared by its power base that Israel should eventually be eliminated and both it and the Palestinian Authority be replaced by an Islamic state.

“The world is not stupid,” said Habib. “By speaking with two voices, Hamas will fail to persuade the world of its willingness to change.”

Today, we hear this:

Palestinian prime minister-designate Isma'eel Haneya said his Hamas-led government would support peace negotiations between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, CBS reported Friday.

'We have no problem, no argument with Abu Mazen (Abbas) if he would like to continue with negotiations,' Haneya told the US television station Thursday. 'I am not against negotiations.'

The 43-year-old, who is considered a relative moderate within the radical Islamic movement, disassociated himself from the dozens of suicide bombings carried out by Hamas' armed wing in Israeli restaurants and buses.

'I personally have never been involved in any military action of Hamas. My activity has been completely political,' he said, adding when asked that he would 'never approve' if his son expressed the wish to carry out a suicide bombing.

Asked if he could envision himself signing a peace deal with an Israeli leader in the future, he said: 'Let's hope so. That's all I can say.'

Israel has said it will not negotiate with a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority unless Hamas recognize the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept past interim agreements.

Calling himself a 'moderate' is of course, mindless drivel. Haneya was close to Sheikh Yassin, bloodthirsty cleric that promised an orgy of bloodletting.

Haneya referring to himself as a 'moderate' is like Joachim von Ribbentrop calling himself a diplomat.

Onwards. Not all Hamas leaders are so peace loving.

"Being in power is only a means to an end for Hamas," Khaled Meshal told a memorial gathering for a deceased Palestinian politician on Thursday night. "Power is not our ultimate goal.

"If it becomes one, let power go to hell. It will not hold us back from our targets which we hold dear," he said.

"We and the Zionists have a date with destiny. If they want a fight, we are ready for it. If they want a war, we are the sons of war. If they want a struggle, we are for it to the end," Meshaal declared in Damascus.

Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction and has not met any demands from Israel or the "Quartet" group of Middle East mediators to recognise the Jewish state, renounce violence and accept past agreements or lose international assistance.

Israel does not want war. On the contrary, Israel has since 1967 offered land for peace. Arab rejectionists, including Hamas have made violence the centerpiece of their 'foreign policy' for decades.

In the end, the Israelis are responding appropriately, dismissing the noises coming from Ramalla as doublespeak.

Just another day in the Middle East.