Report: Hamas seeks permanent state of war with Israel
According to a report in the "New York Times", the Islamist Hamas deliberately accepted an escalation of the conflict with the bloody terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. In the interpretation of the Islamists, the aim was to revive the faltering Palestinian cause through violence, the newspaper wrote, citing conversations with several Hamas representatives.
It was necessary to "change the whole equation and not just have a clash", Chalil al-Haja from the Hamas leadership told the paper in Doha. "We have succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region can rest."
In the eyes of Hamas, the many victims on the Palestinian side as a result of Israel's reaction are the necessary price to pay, writes the newspaper. The organization's calculation is to shake the status quo and open a new, explosive chapter in the fight against Israel.
Hamas: Hoping for a permanent state of war
"I hope that the state of war with Israel on all borders will become permanent and that the Arab world will be on our side," the New York Times quoted Taher al-Nunu, whom the newspaper described as a media adviser to Hamas.
"What could change the equation was a big action, and it was undoubtedly clear that the reaction to this big action would be big," Chalil al-Haja also said. "We had to tell people that the Palestinian cause will not die."
Hamas' goal is not to govern the Gaza Strip and supply it with water and electricity, for example. "This battle did not take place because we wanted fuel or manpower," he added, according to the newspaper. "It was not about improving the situation in Gaza. This battle is about completely overturning the situation."
Normalization between Israelis and Saudis thwarted
With its terrorist attack in Israel, Hamas has prevented rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to a senior member. However, this was not the actual aim of the attack, Osama Hamdan, a member of the Hamas politburo, told the German Press Agency in Beirut. With the massacre, however, Hamas had "thwarted Israel's attempt to penetrate the region under the guise of normalization and to violate the rights of the Palestinians".
The Islamist organization had actually only wanted to capture Israeli soldiers during its attack on 7 October in the border area, Hamdan continued. Civilians had been taken hostage by "others". He left open who exactly these "others" were. Hamas will continue its fight against Israel, he said.
Before the start of the Gaza war, there were many indications that relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel could be normalized with US mediation. Riyadh halted the talks because of the Gaza war. Last week, the communications director of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the Saudi side was still interested in pursuing normalization. "It's clear to us that the Saudis are still committed to it."
Saudi minister: rapprochement with Israel not off the table
Despite the Gaza war, there is still a chance of rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to a Saudi minister. The currently suspended talks on normalizing relations had revolved around a "path to a peaceful solution to the Palestinian question", said Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister Chalid al-Falih in Singapore. The topic is "not off the table", said al-Falih at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.
Even in the 2002 peace plan presented by Saudi Arabia, the goal was a "normal Middle East" in which "all Middle Eastern countries have normal relations and focus on economic prosperity".
Hamas' Ongoing Conflicts in the Middle East
Despite attempts at normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Hamas' terrorist attack in Israel has served to hinder such progress, according to a senior Hamas member Osama Hamdan. He stated that Hamas aimed to prevent Israel's advancement in the region under the guise of normalization and protect Palestinian rights.
Calls for a Permanent State of Conflict
In support of Hamas, Taher al-Nunu, a media adviser to the organization, expressed hope for a permanent state of war with Israel on all borders, as reported by the New York Times. The goal was to maintain the Palestinian cause and challenge the existing status quo, potentially leading to an explosive new chapter in the struggle against Israel.
Source: www.dpa.com
