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Role played by the Hamas government in the Arab- Israeli Peace Summit

Hamas is a political party that governs the Gaza Strip. An Islamic resistance group that has a military wing, it has governed the Gaza Strip since June 2007 when it won majority of the Palestinian seats in the Parliamentary elections. It was originally founded in 1987 by Sheik Ahmed Yassin to liberate the Palestine from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the now Israel and Gaza Strip. However, our political bureau chief named Khaled Meshal was willing to cooperate with the Arab-Israeli conflict resolutions, which include a Palestinian state based on the 1967 boarders. It sated that the Palestinian refugees may return to Israel. We the Hamas describe the conflict between the Palestine and the Israeli as political but not religious. The main cause of the conflict dates back to 1948 with the creation of Israel and the fight has been to bring home the refugees to our Palestinian state. However, there is this theme recurrent to the peace process, we feel that the Israeli are offering too little, and there is mistrust in its motives and actions. The main issues revolve around; boarder and division of land, status of Jerusalem, Israeli security issues over terrorism and return of the Palestinian refugees. The Palestinians in particular the Hamas have priorities as a group, are nonetheless willing to compromise with certain situations, and provide solutions to their conflicts.

Priorities and compromises

The Hamas group has priorities. They gave a list of their priorities at the Peace Summit stating that they wanted Palestine to be a 0ne-State nation with Muslim government. They wanted all Muslims to unite as one and work together as a nation. For along time the Palestinians have wanted to make their own laws and work as an independent state without the interference of other nations. Nevertheless, as a group we were willing to compromise with several issues. Firstly, we were willing to allow the Jews, Christians, and the Muslim the freedom to practice their religion. Everyone is entitled to practice their religion wherever they are based at including the Palestinian territory. We are also willing to compromise with the issue of traveling freely to the different areas and transact business wherever the Israeli wish.

Proposed solutions to the six major problems

The Hamas were willing to have one Palestinian state. The Hamas government wants to create boarders and create one Islamic nation. The government is to be run by committed Muslims. The Gaza Strip and West Bank territories must eventually be part of an independent Palestinian state. In 1980, Yasser Arafat was offered 92 percent of West Bank, the Arabic neighborhood of East Jerusalem and the whole of Gaza Strip by the then Prime Minister but he turned down the offer. However, we have agreed that the Israeli can live in the territories but there will be a boarder. The two communities will live peacefully and everyone will have equal rights to practice the religion of their interest and movement.

The second issue concerns security between the two nations. Throughout the conflict has been a major concern for mostly the Israelis. Other nations refer to the violence against the Israeli civilians and military forces by our Palestinian militants as terrorism. The main reason for the violence is to eliminate the Jewish state and replace it with a Palestinian state. Suicide bombing is commonly used as a tactic; most of the bombers target civilian buses, hotels, market places, and shopping malls. The Israeli government has constructed security barriers in the northern part of the green line near the West bank following attacks by terrorists. In the first Intifada, over a thousand Palestinians were killed in a campaign to crack down suspected Israeli security service informers. The Palestinian authority was criticized for not trying the named suspects under their laws and it was published that less than 45 percent of those killed were actually guilty of informing the Israeli government. In the Gaza Strip, Hamas officials have killed and tortured a large number of people including the Fatah members and Palestinians who oppose the law. The main aim of causing all these violence was to prevent the Israeli from taking over our nation. However, in the peace summit we have agreed not to cause more violence but offer security to our fellow Palestinians. The Palestine security has enacted a policy. The policy states that it will be the only security authority, the council will legalize the carrying of arms by civilians, and the force will only act systematically against terror and violence. The two governments have signed a mutual understanding stating that the two shall coordinate and cooperate in mutual security matters. A committee will be enacted to deal with security matters pertaining West Bank and Gaza Strip. The committee shall communicate information between the two sides needed to solve security matters. The Palestinian security shall maintain internal security and prevent violence within and outside its boundaries.

The issue of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories is another issue bringing conflict. Our occupied Palestinian territory that refers to the Gaza Strip and West Bank belonged to us the Palestinians until it was acquired by the Israeli in the year 1967. Most Israelis claim that the land was acquired under no agreement, there was valid diplomatic agreement hence it belonged to no party. The Palestinians must control all of Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, West Bank and the whole of Israel since it is our land. Besides the peace process, we are not willing to surrender the land that belonged to us. For peace to prevail Israel must surrender our land and there shall never be violence any longer. The settlements have diverted the resources we need like water and arable land. The settlements have also reduced our ability to travel freely via local transport due to security purposes.

Palestinian refugees in refugee camps who fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict have a right to return to their land. During the war most Palestinians fled for safety, the number is estimate at around 711,000 people. Their descendants are eligible for registration under the United Nations agency. A small number live in recognized camps based in Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. The Palestinian law of return that grants citizenship to any Palestinian should be enacted to help all the refugees to return to their former land.

Jerusalem should be controlled by the Palestinians. It belonged to us until it was grabbed by the Israelis in the year 1967. Israeli refuse to divide the city into two hence the area that was not their’s by 1967 should be granted to us. The sites should be built mosques and are part of the Palestinian state. When Jerusalem was under Jordan control, no Jews were allowed to visit neither the holy places including the Mount of Olives, nor the western wall. In the year 2000 we took over Joseph’s tomb that is considered sacred to the Jews, and us, we erected the building and built a mosque. There are many unauthorized excavations for construction on the temple Mount in Jerusalem threatening the stability of the Western wall. The western wall is an Islamic endowment; it is part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The wall –all its various parts, structures, and gates are an inseparable part of the al-Aqsa compound. It is part of its western tower. The tower that the Israeli established fallaciously and sneakily calls the “Wailing wall.” The wall must be brought done by the Palestinians who will pay for the expenses.

Conclusion

We have held diverse perceptions of the peace process as a government or group. The proposed solutions were consistent with the priorities. The solutions if put into consideration will contribute towards one Palestinian nation and peace in general. No one will suffer terrorism and we will all live peacefully. However, in the peace summit most of the attendants opposed to the solutions. The solutions were ridiculed by most members stating that it was an unfair move. Members of the human rights commission who were present in the summit termed our solutions as inhuman. There justification was that the Israeli are also human, and driving them away from the land will not be justice. They further expressed that the act will lead to more conflicts leading to wars. Additional to that they suggested that been granted a Palestinian state will not contribute to regional stability. The Jordan peace plan calls for Israeli and other nations to recognize the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan as the sole legitimate representative of the Arabs of Samaria and Judea. Both Israeli and Jordan will cooperate in conducting local affairs. The Arab state is now Jordan, which was enacted in the year 1922 when Britain shared most of the land to Amir Abdullah. Most of the people living in Jordan are Palestinians from West Bank. Abdullah has adopted the idea of Jordan-Palestinian togetherness. The peace plan is great since it will enhance peace within and outside our territories; Arabic sources within the Judea and Samaria indicate great support for the initiative. The move is however not fully effective since us the Hamas group will not have acquired our native land. Lastly, our vote was viewed as contradicting since firstly we supported destruction and inequality but lastly we agreed on the Jordan peace plan.