This
is the third entry in the series Letters of Understanding. In an
e-mail-based dialogue, sponsored by IslamOnline.net’s Muslim
Affairs section, American student David Mauldin and Palestinian
student Tasneem Shaer discuss Hamas's victory in the Palestinian
elections and the challenges that the new government faces.
What
do you think of this dialogue? Which argument do you support?
E-mail us your feedback and comments: mideast@islamonline.net
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February
9, 2006
Dear
David,
I believe that the issue of Hamas, America, and the Palestinian elections, which we are to discuss, is a
very important one. It has been the major interest of almost all
journalists, politicians, economists, and others since January
25, the day of the Palestinian parliamentary elections. So I
have decided to give you the point of view of a Palestinian on
this subject.
It is known that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
was in authority in Palestine throughout almost ten years and was mainly led by its previous
president Yasser Arafat. During that period, the PLO didn’t
achieve what the Palestinians really wanted, that is to have a
Palestinian state in which they can live totally free without
having to worry about their lives and future.
The
PLO didn't achieve what the Palestinians really wanted.
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Instead,
the only achievement in those ten years was negotiations with
Israel and America, which resulted in mere promises to free the
Palestinians and enable them to live safely in their Palestinian
state.
But
when it comes to reality, it can be seen that what happened in
Palestine was the opposite of such promises. The Palestinians didn’t get
their freedom; they got nothing but bloodshed, house
demolitions, imprisonment, and loss of jobs. This was what the
negotiations resulted in.
Also
don't forget that there was so much talk about the corruption of
the Palestinian authority and the disappearance of all the
donations made by other countries to the Palestinians.
This,
of course, caused the Palestinians to be angry and frustrated
and made them lose faith in their leaders, so they began to look
for change and reform, which can only be achieved by replacing
the corrupt regime with a group that refuses to negotiate on
issues such as refugees' right of return, Jerusalem as the
capital of Palestine, and the Palestinians' right to defend
themselves against the Israeli tanks and Apaches.
Now Hamas has proved on the ground to be the movement that has
such characteristics. It has always believed in the rights of
return and self-defense. As a result, the Palestinians made
their choice and gave their votes to Hamas's candidates because
they believed that a Hamas government would lead Palestine to freedom and get rid of the corruption.
The
Palestinians believe that the Hamas government will lead
Palestine to freedom and get rid of corruption.
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What
really struck me was the international reaction to the results
of the elections. Ironically, the countries that refused to
accept the results are all countries that consider themselves
democratic. Why do they reject the results even though they all
sent observers to Palestine to watch what happened — I myself
spoke to some of those observers and they were glad to see the
elections take place in a totally democratic atmosphere without
having anyone force the voters to vote for one candidate and not
the other.
So
democracy has been achieved in Palestine
even if America or anyone else say it hasn't. The Palestinians are sure about
their choice; they believe that Hamas has the ability to rule
the country and lead it to growth and development if America
stops putting obstacles in Hamas's way and Israel stops assassinating Hamas's elected leaders.
What
I said is surely the belief of the majority of Palestinians.
This is clear from the results of the elections. I would like to
know what you and the American people think of the recent
situation in Palestine.
Yours,
Tasneem Shaer
*****
February
9, 2006
Dear
Tasneem,
I
like your email; you share your view on a controversial issue in
a very clear and non-combative way which is a rare gift these
days. That humbled me.
I
was on a plane recently and noticed an issue of Newsweek
with a big picture of Hamas supporters on the front. I picked it
up and read the articles about the recent elections and the
views on what the future holds for the Palestinians and Israel.
They were interesting but what fascinated me was an article in
the corner of one page. It was a letter from Muhammad Abu
Tir, a Hamas leader, titled "Open
Letter: Just Be Fair With Us."
By explaining my thoughts on this article, I can begin to answer
your question about the US view.
My
thoughts on the article: I thought it was beautiful. It was the
best plea for fairness in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict I,
personally, have ever heard. And it was honest. He broke down so
many walls that I feel have been built up in the conflict. For
example, he point-blank asked the question which no US
Government official would ever want to answer truthfully on the
world stage — "Why is the West concerned about the
security of Israel and not concerned about our security?"
He clearly stated the reasons to deal with Hamas (ones that you
pointed out to me, Tasneem) such as their reputation for
honesty, their desire to put the money to use rather than keep
it for themselves, and their ability to bring stability to the
region.
He
wisely confronted fears that they would just buy more weapons if
they had world support with his admittance that they didn't need
anyone's help to do that. I especially liked this admittance
because it aided his point that Hamas was not going to disarm
even though Israel kept calling for that to take place. Abu Tir laid down the
reality, which is that Hamas is armed and is strong enough to
keep the peace in the Occupied Territories; has won a huge political victory; and while not even close to
disarming, is ready to seriously talk about a Palestinian
state and Israel's security. All that is required is for the rest of the
world to see things as they are, and to stop impeding the
process by always referring to the militias as terrorists and
making hopeless demands for Hamas's disarmament (to name a few
things).
His
message at the end was excellent. Do not fear Hamas. "Hamas
is contained."
We have issues with Israel, not the rest of the world. "We will not impose
Sharia" (an especially important statement because of Iran
worries).
But
then, his very last line, "We are not Al Qaeda."
There
is a general tendency in the United States
to see the entire Middle East
as a region of extremists.
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That,
at first, might seem like a fitting way to end, but to me, it
made me finish the article feeling sad. Tasneem, I wish everyone
in the United States could read what the man said in his letter,
and I wish that everyone would open their minds to the hope
within the words. But unfortunately, there is a general tendency
in the United States
right now to see the entire Middle East as a region of extremists. It is a land of
"militants," "Islamic radicals,"
"Muslim suicide bombers," "Osama Bin
Laden's," "Zarqawi's," car bombs, kidnappers, and
"terrorists," who want to hurt the United States just because of its freedom.
While
I cannot completely attack this aura of paranoia as unwarranted
(since there are real events that contributed to its existence),
it works as a barrier to prevent the United States as a whole from understanding the Arab and Muslim world. So, if
someone reads Abu Tir's letter with what I sense to be the
general American viewpoint, they won't hear the concise pleas
for dialogue, but will rather see the phrase
"Al-Qaeda" and wonder why Hamas won't disarm if it
isn't like Bin Laden's group. And when Hamas won the election,
it didn't take much to get the country nervous about who was
going to hold the power in Palestine. Someone just needed to mention suicide bombs and the
paranoia took control and then everyone was wondering if we
should even communicate with Hamas.
So,
at this point, I am not sure what the Americans will do,
although I can offer my opinions on that in future emails.
However, I do sense that whatever happens, if the world is to
take hold of the hope offered in the letter from Hamas, the United States
is going to have to fight the paranoia that is poisoning its
ability to negotiate the Middle East
with a clear head.
I
have so much more to say, but this is just the beginning. I look
forward to your next email.
David
