'Be fair to Hamas, Mr Obama
By Stuart Littlewood
By Stuart Littlewood
24 February 2009
Stuart Littlewood asks US President Barack Obama why Washington persists in refusing to talk to Hamas and continues to support Israel despite Tel Aviv's refusal to return stolen land and relinquish enough control for a viable Palestinian state to come into being?
Can it be true? This week in the High Court in London, lawyers acting for an independent Palestinian organization will start proceedings against the British government.They seek a judicial review of policy decisions that have brought the UK’s relations with Israel into conflict with international law."The UK has clear international law obligations to do something effective to stop Israel's attacks on Palestinian civilians,” says Phil Shiner who leads the case.
It must cooperate with other states using all lawful means to bring the situation to an end and it must stop giving aid and assistance to Israel. This means that the UK's continuing policy of arms trading with Israel is completely out of bounds, as is our role in continuing with the EU preferential trading agreement. The point of this case is to make the government focus on what it is legally obliged to do, beyond ineffective hand-wringing.
At the same time an adviser to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has written to US President Barack Obama asking him to “treat Palestinians fairly and be open-minded in dealing with Hamas”.His plea will be echoed by millions who are sick of the hypocrisy and double standards that are at the root of the West’s failure to deliver justice in the Holy Land.I hear the letter was delivered to US Senator John Kerry during his recent visit to the war-torn Gaza Strip. A pity Kerry, who heads the Senate's foreign relations committee, didn't bother to meet Hamas while there.A delegation of six British MPs also visited the Gaza Strip to review the situation and assess the crisis. Their trip was organized by CAABU (Council for Arab-British Understanding), which aims to promote "an enlightened and positive approach to Arab-British relations". There is no mention of a meeting with Hamas in their press release.Other visitors included the president of the European Parliament and president of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Hans Gert with a delegation. Gert said he had no intention of meeting Hamas. ”Our visit to the Strip is just to inspect the situation in Gaza.” Incredible.Are these the best political brains tax money can buy?Palestinians are polite, hospitable and sophisticated. You learn a lot if you stop and talk. For the benefit of us ordinary folk, do please tell us, Mr Obama, why top politicians, who should know better, rule out conversation with Hamas.Are Hamas not their cup of tea?True, many Hamas leaders had a tough upbringing in refugee camps and did time in Israeli jails or in exile. But they have overcome – they have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Prime Minister Haniyeh is the product of a refugee camp and was a leading figure in the student movement before graduating from the Islamic University and entering politics. Arrested three times by the Israelis, he was deported to South Lebanon in 1992. He became director of the office of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, a co-founder and the spiritual leader of Hamas who was assassinated by the Israelis in 2004. Haniyeh is also an imam.Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, brought up in Egypt, is a surgeon and headed the nursing department at the Islamic University. He was deported along with Haniyeh to South Lebanon. Targeted for assassination, Al-Zahar’s home was bombed in 2003 by an Israeli F-16, murdering his eldest son and seriously injuring his wife. Last year an Israeli air raid killed a second son.Looking through the list of Hamas ministers published shortly after their election victory in 2006, many have professional qualifications and are better equipped for office than their Western counterparts. Dr Basem Naim, the health minister, has a degree in medicine from Germany and a PhD in surgery. The minister of national economy has a degree in civil engineering. The deputy prime minister and education minister is Dean of Islamic Studies and Law at al-Najah University and has a PhD in Middle East Studies from Manchester University. The finance minister has a PhD from Iowa University.There is even a minister for women's affairs, a mother of seven, who holds a PhD in Islamic Sharia. The minister of public works has a degree in civil engineering from Alabama University. The minister of culture graduated from teacher training college in Ramallah and holds a master’s in Sharia. The minister of planning holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania and was visiting professor at several US universities. The minister of agriculture has a PhD in environment and water from Manchester University and is a fellow of the American Society for Science Advancement.So, Hamas clearly has a pool of talent that might have governed wisely given the chance. But the pro-Israel alliance made it their business to thwart this fledgling Arab democracy at every turn and try to crush it.'
It must cooperate with other states using all lawful means to bring the situation to an end and it must stop giving aid and assistance to Israel. This means that the UK's continuing policy of arms trading with Israel is completely out of bounds, as is our role in continuing with the EU preferential trading agreement. The point of this case is to make the government focus on what it is legally obliged to do, beyond ineffective hand-wringing.
At the same time an adviser to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has written to US President Barack Obama asking him to “treat Palestinians fairly and be open-minded in dealing with Hamas”.His plea will be echoed by millions who are sick of the hypocrisy and double standards that are at the root of the West’s failure to deliver justice in the Holy Land.I hear the letter was delivered to US Senator John Kerry during his recent visit to the war-torn Gaza Strip. A pity Kerry, who heads the Senate's foreign relations committee, didn't bother to meet Hamas while there.A delegation of six British MPs also visited the Gaza Strip to review the situation and assess the crisis. Their trip was organized by CAABU (Council for Arab-British Understanding), which aims to promote "an enlightened and positive approach to Arab-British relations". There is no mention of a meeting with Hamas in their press release.Other visitors included the president of the European Parliament and president of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Hans Gert with a delegation. Gert said he had no intention of meeting Hamas. ”Our visit to the Strip is just to inspect the situation in Gaza.” Incredible.Are these the best political brains tax money can buy?Palestinians are polite, hospitable and sophisticated. You learn a lot if you stop and talk. For the benefit of us ordinary folk, do please tell us, Mr Obama, why top politicians, who should know better, rule out conversation with Hamas.Are Hamas not their cup of tea?True, many Hamas leaders had a tough upbringing in refugee camps and did time in Israeli jails or in exile. But they have overcome – they have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. Prime Minister Haniyeh is the product of a refugee camp and was a leading figure in the student movement before graduating from the Islamic University and entering politics. Arrested three times by the Israelis, he was deported to South Lebanon in 1992. He became director of the office of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, a co-founder and the spiritual leader of Hamas who was assassinated by the Israelis in 2004. Haniyeh is also an imam.Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar, brought up in Egypt, is a surgeon and headed the nursing department at the Islamic University. He was deported along with Haniyeh to South Lebanon. Targeted for assassination, Al-Zahar’s home was bombed in 2003 by an Israeli F-16, murdering his eldest son and seriously injuring his wife. Last year an Israeli air raid killed a second son.Looking through the list of Hamas ministers published shortly after their election victory in 2006, many have professional qualifications and are better equipped for office than their Western counterparts. Dr Basem Naim, the health minister, has a degree in medicine from Germany and a PhD in surgery. The minister of national economy has a degree in civil engineering. The deputy prime minister and education minister is Dean of Islamic Studies and Law at al-Najah University and has a PhD in Middle East Studies from Manchester University. The finance minister has a PhD from Iowa University.There is even a minister for women's affairs, a mother of seven, who holds a PhD in Islamic Sharia. The minister of public works has a degree in civil engineering from Alabama University. The minister of culture graduated from teacher training college in Ramallah and holds a master’s in Sharia. The minister of planning holds a PhD in urban planning from the University of Pennsylvania and was visiting professor at several US universities. The minister of agriculture has a PhD in environment and water from Manchester University and is a fellow of the American Society for Science Advancement.So, Hamas clearly has a pool of talent that might have governed wisely given the chance. But the pro-Israel alliance made it their business to thwart this fledgling Arab democracy at every turn and try to crush it.'
Lees verder: http://www.redress.cc/palestine/slittlewood20090224
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