PARIS/
TORONTO, January 29, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The Jewish French
Union for Peace (JFPP) has criticized the ferocious campaign by the
US, the EU and Israel against Hamas after the group’s landslide
victory in last week’s legislative elections and called for
respecting the democratic choice of the Palestinian people.
The
same call was echoed by Canadian Muslim leaders, who urged the new
government to recognize Hamas and give it a chance.
"A
media campaign stereotyping Hamas as a threat to the Middle East peace
process and no peace partner with Israel has picked up steam since the
group came to power in a real democracy," the Paris-based NGO
said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net
on Sunday, January 29.
"The
same feeble excuses were used to question late Palestinian president
Yasser Arafat’s peace intentions and give the US-backed Israeli
government of Ariel Sharon a pretext to impose his unilateral
steps," it said, referring to Sharon’s plan for disengagement
from the Palestinians.
Hamas
has swept the parliamentary elections, winning 76 seats in the
133-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, while President Mahmoud
Abbas's ruling Fatah only got 43 seats.
The
statement, entitled “The End of Occupation is the Only Solution
After Hamas Election,” said Israeli and Palestinian officials have
not met for months except for a handful of meetings to arrange
security matters.
Hamas
leader Khaled Meshaal dismissed on Saturday, January 28, claims that
his group was responsible for the Palestinians' problems.
"Even
during the time of Arafat and Abu Mazen the political process was
blocked. There is a political, security and economic crisis. Hamas
will strive to resolve it," he said.
Vote
For Resistance
 |
|
El-Masry said Canada should adopt a balanced policy in the Middle East to help achieve peace.
|
The
leftist-leaning Jewish union said the Palestinians have voted for the
resistance "which will, no doubt, end the occupation."
"The
Palestinians said no for grinding poverty, desperation, the racist
West Bank separation wall and the destruction of their society,"
the statement added.
"It
is also a vote against Israel’s ridicule of the Palestinians and the
gangrenous corruption [in the Palestinian Authority] and the loss of
hope."
Fatah
officials have described Hamas’s win as a wake-up call for the
long-dominant movement and reflected the disillusionment of the voters
and the soaring popularity of Hamas, which ran on a ticket of
"Change and Reform."
The
union concluded that peace cannot be materialized unless the Israelis
and the Palestinians are being treated as equals.
"Justice,
the return of the refugees, the release of all prisoners,
acknowledging the inalienable rights of the Palestinians and
dismantling all settlements are the only way to achieve peace,"
it said.
On
the other extreme, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions
in France (CRIF) expressed fears about a Hamas-run Palestinian
Authority, saying this gave a cause for concern.
Balanced
Policy
In
a related issue, the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) urged Prime
minister-designate Stephen Harper to respect the results of the
Palestinian democratic elections and adopt a balanced policy in the
Middle East.
"Palestinians
are to be congratulated for holding their recent elections in a free,
fair, and democratic manner," CIC Head Mohamed El-Masri said in a
statement a copy of which was sent to IOL.
Harper,
who is to be sworn in on February 6, has said that his Conservative
government would not accept Hamas as long as it continued to support
what he termed as terrorism.
"For
a nation to be truly democratic, that nation must renounce
terrorism," he added.
The
CIC, which is the largest national non-profit and independent voice of
Canadian Muslims, said Canada should adopt a "balanced
policy" in the region in order to work towards, and ultimately
achieve, just peace.
It
warned that not recognizing Hamas would be "a serious setback to
the peace movement and serve only to escalate the violence."
CIC
recalled that the Irish Republican Army's political wing proved itself
competent to govern without continuing armed violence; likewise,
several former Israeli prime ministers were once labelled terrorists.
Hamas
should be given the same chance to establish itself in this new phase
of Middle East history, it said.
"We
believe that bringing Hamas into the legitimate political process and
opening constructive dialogue will help to moderate its
policies."
