Tough messages

The first suicide bombing carried out by Jihad against Israel under the Hamas government outlines new realities on the ground, leaders of Palestinian resistance movements tell Amira Howeidy

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The day after a young Palestinian blew himself up in a Tel Aviv restaurant killing nine Israelis, a Palestinian Hamas legislator, who asked that his name be withheld, told Al-Ahram Weekly in Tehran that the operation, carried out by the Islamic Jihad resistance group, hardly comes as a surprise.

But doesn't this cause problems for Hamas which is facing a serious financial crisis? "Not really," he said, "Israel has been shelling and attacking Palestinian towns on a daily basis. In the past two weeks alone they killed 25 Palestinians including children -- it can't get any worse."

The 20-year-old bomber, Sami Salim, is a native of Jenin, a West Bank town that has for many years been subjected to large-scale Israeli military aggression, target assassinations and the demolition of houses and public buildings. "What do you expect?" the legislator asked.

Following Monday's Tel-Aviv bombing, the sharp contrast in reactions of the Palestinian presidency and the Hamas-controlled government was exposed, as the glaring gap between the two widens.

While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described it as a "contemptuous" and "terrorist" act, the Hamas government issued a statement blaming Israel for the operation. The Hamas reaction is a far cry from the previous Palestinian leadership's systematic condemnation of such attacks.

There is a new dynamic among Palestinians after the Islamic resistance movement Hamas scored an overwhelming victory in the first Palestinian legislative elections in January. After a series of internal battles mainly with the once-powerful Fatah faction which boycotted the new cabinet, the all-Hamas Palestinian government was formed three weeks ago. Since its elections victory and until Monday's suicide operation, speculation was rife about Hamas's commitment to resistance operations against Israel.

The conclusive answer came this week after Salim blew himself up.

"Hamas will not be carrying out [suicide or military] operations, but it's perfectly fine that Jihad does," the Palestinian legislator said. In other words, while Hamas tactically refrains from the resistance "option" for the time being, Jihad will effectively act as its military wing.

Islamic Jihad, the radical resistance group which boycotted the elections and the formation of the cabinet appeared to have drifted apart from the seemingly politicised Hamas following its elections victory. While Hamas committed itself to a ceasefire agreement with Israel since March 2005, Jihad originally agreed to the "calm" then reversed its decision a few months later.

But in the Iranian capital earlier this week, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah appeared in perfect harmony during an international Palestine solidarity conference organised by the Iranian parliament, only a few days after Iran's president announced that his country has joined the "nuclear club".

Addressing the conference, the two leaders gave speeches that were in complete harmony with each other's policies.

Despite Jihad's "different" stand on the elections, argued Shallah, "we fully support our brothers in Hamas and we absolutely reject all efforts to force them to abandon resistance and recognise Israel."

The "only solution" for the Palestinian question, said Shallah, is "resistance" and Hamas lies "at the heart of this solution".

Speaking to the Weekly in the Iranian capital, Shallah outlined the "options" facing the current Palestinian government. "Cancel the political process and take responsibility for that internationally; respond to the pressures of recognising Israel and make concessions or find a midway that will change the rules of the political game and this is what Hamas has chosen."

Speaking for himself, Hamas's Meshaal, the top and popular figure in the movement seemed determined that the new government succeeds "without concessions", and that Israeli policies are not their only challenge. Abbas's Fatah faction which suffered a huge blow in the elections, has formed a "kitchen" to create "problems" for the Hamas government, Meshaal told the Weekly.

"By refusing to take part in the cabinet and pressuring others to follow suit," he explained, "a stream in Fatah wanted us to fail. When we have a one-party government it makes it an easier target."

Meshaal complained of the powers which the outgoing Fatah-dominated parliament bestowed on the presidency in its final session immediately following the elections and before the formation of the new parliament.

Coming under pressure from Israel and the United States, the previous Palestinian parliament withdrew powers from the then- Palestinian president Yasser Arafat and gave them to the government. When Hamas won, the parliament reversed the decision.

"The crossings, the borders, the state media, even organising Hajj (pilgrimages) now come under the presidency," he said.

"All this contradicts the basis of the Palestinian political system and the role of the government... they want the Hamas government to appear weak, incapable of doing anything to make the Palestinian people feel that they shouldn't have this government."

The US and the EU suspended financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority following Hamas's victory. And when the new government took over, they discovered that Fatah "left us with an empty and bankrupt treasury," said Meshaal.

Earlier this week, a number of masked police members attacked the Khan Yunis parliamentary headquarters, wreaking havoc and demanded that their salaries be released immediately. The attack was interpreted as a message from Fatah security figures to tarnish Hamas's image.

Iran's donation of $100 million to the Palestinians saved the government from a financial crisis.

The Palestinian Authority "was never our aim", Meshaal explained. "We found ourselves [in the position of running a government] and now we have to take up the challenge. But if it is no longer helpful for the Palestinians and becomes a burden we wouldn't hesitate to resort to other options."

Liberation, he explained, "is the original target, but we are here in the government and we shall manage our battle with Israel because the alternative will be an explosive one."

According to Jihad sources, their movement is giving its full support and backing to the Hamas government because it fears two likely possibilities: a civil war and the return of Fatah, "although that is a far fetched scenario as the days of Fatah as a main faction are over," said the source.

"We have reasons to be hopeful," said Meshaal, "our people know that Hamas is honest and far from the financial corruption of the previous days [when Fatah was in power]."