EuropePalestine

Hamas: The EU’s new Palestine dilemma

It may be better for the to provide more carrots and fewer sticks for .

Last week’s spectacular victory for the fledgling political wing of Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) in the Palestinian parliamentary elections has left a confused with a dilemma. The elections were the most stunning example in recent times of democratic power in action in the Arab world. Despite garnering 42.9% of the popular vote, the result was less a Hamas victory and more a defeat for Fatah, whose control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been rife with corruption and cronyism.

Hamas, however, is the Palestinian organisation least compatible with the EU’s position on the Middle East . This has left it with the awkward question of whether it can walk the walk and not just talk the talk when it comes to in the region. The militant group, on the EU’s list of ‘terrorist organisations’, is responsible for most suicide bombings against Israeli military and civilian targets and its founding charter does not recognise Israel’s right to exist.

The Hamas victory has elicited a range of reactions in Europe, ranging from quiet caution to strident condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country was unwilling to continue funding the PA, unless Hamas renounced its policy of armed resistance and recognised Israel. Merkel’s position mirrored closely that of the and, to a lesser extent, Israel itself. The Quartet (the , EU, UN and ) had the additional demand that the Hamas-dominated PA stick to the ‘road map’ to peace.

See also  "Never again or forever more?" asks veteran war reporter

The Council of Ministers struck a more ambiguous note. “The Council expects the newly elected [Palestinian Legislative Council] to support the formation of a government committed to a peaceful and negotiated solution of the conflict with Israel,” it said in a statement.

The PA faces an imminent financial crisis and needs some €83 million next week in order to pay its 137,000 employees. Hamas has urged international donors not to suspend their funding of the PA. If the EU follows through on unofficial threats to cut off the €500-million-a-year financial lifeline it gives the Palestinians, this would not only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories, it is also likely to harden a softening Hamas position and lose the EU valuable leverage.

Hamas, which has held to a ceasefire for the past 11 months, has indicated its intention to work within the traditionally pluralistic Palestinian political landscape by setting up a coalition government under the tutelage of incumbent Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Since its victory, Hamas has expressed a willingness to commit itself to a long-term truce, if Israel agreed to cede Palestinian land it occupied in 1967. “We can accept to establish our independent state on the area occupied [in] 1967,” Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas official and one of its last surviving founders, told CNN.

Still, disquiet abounds. “Europe has legitimate concerns about Hamas, but for these to be credible it needs to have equally legitimate concerns about Israel’s agenda,” said Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst at the Brussels/Washington-based think-tank the International Crisis Group.

Striking parallels between Hamas and the policies of Israel’s hardline Likud party have been drawn, notably regarding Israel’s controversial policy of ‘targeted assassinations’. “Murdering a Palestinian politician by a long-range attack that is bound also to kill innocent civilians is morally and legally no better than a suicide bomb on a bus,” wrote Jonathan Steele, a columnist with The Guardian.

The Islamic Resistance Movement’s ideological rejection of Israel has also been a cause for concern. “For decades, Israel refused even to recognise the existence of the Palestinian people,” Steele added. The governing Likud party’s Central Committee still rejects the notion of a and adopted a resolution on the subject in 2002.

See also  EU initiative not enough to prepare Med partners for FTA

A poll released on Monday showed that three-quarters of Palestinians wanted Hamas to drop its call for the destruction of Israel. Faced with the demands of Palestinian pluralism and international realpolitik, Hamas is likely to continue to moderate its position as it works with coalition partners.

“The EU needs to understand [that] it makes little sense to make demands upon Hamas, unless [it is] also prepared to offer serious and meaningful concessions in return,” Rabbani noted.

Europe should engage the Palestinians and positively and even-handedly. With no imminent prospect of statehood for the Palestinians to look forward to and faced with territorial closures and economic misery, the EU ought to provide the Palestinians with more carrots and resist the temptation to bring out the sticks.

_________

This article appeared in the 2-8 February 2006 edition of The European Voice. 

Author

  • Khaled Diab

    Khaled Diab is an award-winning journalist, blogger and writer who has been based in Tunis, Jerusalem, Brussels, Geneva and Cairo. Khaled also gives talks and is regularly interviewed by the print and audiovisual media. Khaled Diab is the author of two books: Islam for the Politically Incorrect (2017) and Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land (2014). In 2014, the Anna Lindh Foundation awarded Khaled its Mediterranean Journalist Award in the press category. This website, The Chronikler, won the 2012 Best of the Blogs (BOBs) for the best English-language blog. Khaled was longlisted for the Orwell journalism prize in 2020. In addition, Khaled works as communications director for an environmental NGO based in Brussels. He has also worked as a communications consultant to intergovernmental organisations, such as the EU and the UN, as well as civil society. Khaled lives with his beautiful and brilliant wife, Katleen, who works in humanitarian aid. The foursome is completed by Iskander, their smart, creative and artistic son, and Sky, their mischievous and footballing cat. Egyptian by birth, Khaled’s life has been divided between the Middle East and Europe. He grew up in Egypt and the UK, and has lived in Belgium, on and off, since 2001. He holds dual Egyptian-Belgian nationality.

    View all posts
See also  Belgium: Allow immigrants to migrate from the margins

For more insights

Sign up to receive the latest from The Chronikler

We don’t spam!

For more insights

Sign up to receive the latest from The Chronikler

We don’t spam!

Khaled Diab

Khaled Diab is an award-winning journalist, blogger and writer who has been based in Tunis, Jerusalem, Brussels, Geneva and Cairo. Khaled also gives talks and is regularly interviewed by the print and audiovisual media. Khaled Diab is the author of two books: Islam for the Politically Incorrect (2017) and Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land (2014). In 2014, the Anna Lindh Foundation awarded Khaled its Mediterranean Journalist Award in the press category. This website, The Chronikler, won the 2012 Best of the Blogs (BOBs) for the best English-language blog. Khaled was longlisted for the Orwell journalism prize in 2020. In addition, Khaled works as communications director for an environmental NGO based in Brussels. He has also worked as a communications consultant to intergovernmental organisations, such as the EU and the UN, as well as civil society. Khaled lives with his beautiful and brilliant wife, Katleen, who works in humanitarian aid. The foursome is completed by Iskander, their smart, creative and artistic son, and Sky, their mischievous and footballing cat. Egyptian by birth, Khaled’s life has been divided between the Middle East and Europe. He grew up in Egypt and the UK, and has lived in Belgium, on and off, since 2001. He holds dual Egyptian-Belgian nationality.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

error

Enjoyed your visit? Please spread the word