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Senior Hamas figure: Unity deal won’t change Hamas, relations with Iran remain
Veteran senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said in an interview yesterday that the creation of a unity government with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction will not alter Hamas’ outlook or mode of operation.
It was announced last week that Fatah and Hamas will form a unity government within the coming weeks, prompting Israel to suspend peace talks with the PA, given that Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since then made it clear that Israel will not negotiate with a government backed by Hamas, unless the organisation repudiates violence and embraces peace.
Over the weekend, Abbas said the new government will “obey my policy,” and would “recognise Israel and reject violence and terrorism.” However, in an interview with Reuters, al-Zahar candidly disputed Abbas’ assertion, fuelling uncertainty over how the unity agreement will be implemented. Al-Zahar commented, “He [Abbas] says ‘this is my government’. But it is not his government. It is a government of national unity. He is marketing it in this way to minimize (international) pressure.” Al-Zahar, who has at times been at odds with the Hamas leadership despite being at its forefront since the organisation’s inception, added that Abbas “is trying to overcome a great wave of pressure” by providing reassurances to the international community as he “is seeking a guarantee that US financial support will continue.”
Al-Zahar went on to describe current PA security cooperation with Israel as “shameful” before adding that Hamas will maintain its own security forces independent of PA authority. He explained, “Nobody will touch the security sections in Gaza. No one will be able to touch one person from the military group. Nobody asked for that.” Al-Zahar also explained that despite strains in Hamas’ relations with Iran over its refusal to support President Assad in the Syrian conflict, “We have a good relationship [with Iran]” although he added “communication is not as it was.”