The Israeli Enemy

Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar on Al-Manar TV:

Mahmoud Al-Zahar: “Palestine means Palestine in its entirety – from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River, from Ras Al-Naqura to Rafah. We cannot give up a single inch of it. Therefore, we will not recognize the Israeli enemy’s [right] to a single inch. That is one thing.

“The second thing is that if the right of return is an individual right, neither Mahmoud Al-Zahar nor ‘Abbas Zaki can relinquish it, because all these concessions will constitute a national catastrophe.

“The third point is that we can found a state on any piece of the land, and this will not mean we give up on any other part of the land.” […]

Interviewer: “Condoleezza Rice has demanded that Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist. How do you respond?”

Mahmoud Al-Zahar: “Why should we recognize Condoleezza Rice… or Israel’s right to exist? In this region we have faced Roman occupation, Persian occupation, Crusader occupation, British occupation – they are all gone. The Israeli enemy does not belong to the region. It does not belong to the region’s history, geography, or faith. When you enter the land occupied in 1948, it is like entering an enclave. But when you go to Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, or Egypt, you feel at home. It is your homeland.”

Christopher Hitchens (via To the Tooting Station):

It’s agonizing to watch the Palestinians choose a leadership that is openly aligned with the moribund and vicious dictatorships in Iran and Syria. The time when the PLO called for a democratic secular state seems a very long while ago. But just look at the primeval propaganda of Hamas, which speaks of a land that is holy to one god and dedicated only to his fanatical supporters. Where has one heard that evil rubbish before?