Hamas has offered significant concessions to Israel and the collaborationist Palestinian Authority in the long-awaited update to its political charter. Released on 1 May after months of speculation, the charter cements the increasing moderation of the party under the leadership of Khalid Meshaal.
Much of the media discussion of these changes has focused on the decision to expunge the anti-Semitic statements found in the 1988 original, even though Hamas leaders have repeatedly distanced themselves from those abhorrent views. This is a welcome move. The legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people should not entail or tolerate hostility to Jews, and the conflation of Zionism and Judaism only serves the interest of Israel’s imperial defenders.
The Israeli government and its allies refuse to accept the sincerity of this or any of the other changes to the charter, and continue to insist that Hamas is a terrorist organisation to be crushed without pity. What else could be expected from a racist state committed to the genocide of the Palestinian people?
However, a deeper analysis of the changes reveals Hamas’ increasing convergence with Fatah on a series of crucial issues regarding the Israeli occupation. These moves reflect the increasing bourgeoisification of the party after years of governing the Gaza Strip, and its failure to offer a fundamentally different strategy for Palestinian liberation from that of Fatah and the PLO.
Read the full article by Omar Hassan at Red Flag.