hamas's draft of govt. programme

Hamas' draft government programme
Persian News

Ramallah, West bank, March 12 - The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, which won January's Palestinian general elections, posted a draft of its government programme Saturday on its internet site.

Here are excerpts from the text of Hamas' government programme.

General principles:

1- Pursuit of the armed struggle (against the Zionist regime) until achieving our goals.
2- Israel is an occupying power.
3- The truce is a useful tool (a reference to Hamas' one-year freeze on attacks inside Israel).
4- The Arab and Islamic world support our strategy in all areas.

The main points of our political programme:

I The resistance:

1- The resistance is the legitimate right of the Palestinian people.
2- The resistance is a means but not an end in itself."
3- Israel's intransigence has made all preceding negotiations fail.

II The right of return:

1- Violence and force compelled the Palestinian people to give up their land.
2- The right of return is a principal recognised by all people.
3- The right of return is legitimate and cannot be renounced.
4- The right of return and reparations are a right for all Palestinians.
5- The right of return to homes and lands which Palestinians were forced to leave.
6- The right of return of all Palestinians to liberated territory without having to renounce the land they lost.

III- The truce:

1- The truce is a means to realise our national objectives.
2- The truce does not signify our abandoning the right to resist and respond to (the regime's) violations.
3- the truce is tied to conditions. if they are respected, it will endure.
The conditions for pursuing the truce:
1- Halt of all types of attacks against the Palestinian people.
2- Free all Palestinian prisoners.

IV- the agreements:

1- Our position concerning previous accords (concluded by the Palestinian Authority) is tied to the interests of the Palestinian people.

V- Recognition of Israel:

1- The question of recognising Israel is not the jurisdiction of one faction, nor the government, but a decision for the Palestinian people.

VI- Political negotiations (with the occupying regime):

1- The negotiations are a means and not an end.
2- The previous negotiations did not satisfy the minimum demands of the Palestinian people.

VII- International decisions:

1- Numerous decisions concerning the Palestinian question have not advanced the rights of the Palestinian people.

2- The Israeli occupier only applies decisions which serve its interests.


from the israel news ..

Hamas Platform: Terrorism is Legitimate
Mar 12, '06, Hillel Fendel, Arutz Sheva

The Hamas movement, about to assume control over much of Judea/Samaria, presented its platform over the weekend - defining Israel as "the Zionist enemy" and approving continued terrorism.

Ismail Haniye, designated to be the prime minister in the new Hamas Authority, presented the document to Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, in the framework of the efforts to form a new government. Known as Abu Mazen, Abbas is seeking to lead his Fatah organization into a coalition with Hamas, but the two terrorist groups have not yet succeeded in finding sufficient common ground.

The Hamas platform, as outlined in the document, states that the dispute with the "Zionist enemy" continues, Israel is a conquering state, and that the path of resistance - a codeword for terrorism - is a "legitimate means of attaining the Palestinian nation's goals." The platform further states that hudna - a ceasefire that can be suspended the moment one side feels confident of victory - is also a legitimate tool.

"The conditions for a continued ceasefire," Hamas states, "are an end to all the attacks against the Palestinian nation, and the release of the all the Palestinian prisoners [terrorists].

"The Zionist government did not allow the negotiations to succeed," according to Hamas. "Hamas will be happy to learn of a more efficient way of achieving the Palestinian goals... We will relate to previously-signed agreements according to the interests of the Palestinian nation... Negotiations are merely a means, and not a goal; past talks have not provided us with our minimum demands. However, negotiations in the future will be considered, if they serve our interests."

More excerpts: "The Palestinians have the right to return to every centimeter of their lands, and this right cannot be ceded. Every Palestinian has the right to return to his home and land from which he was banished, and not to give up any morsel of his land."

It was first reported that Abbas had rejected the Hamas document as being too vague and bellicose, but this was later denied. Saed Seyam, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), said, "Abbas has not rejected a Hamas letter he received on Friday [nor] the program of the new cabinet."

Hamas spokesman Assad Farhat said late last week that Hamas absolutely does not accept the Road Map plan, which he called an "American Zionist program."