Hamas' official position paper on the destruction of Israel

Khaled Meshal, Hamas' "political" leader who is touted as being more moderate than his colleagues in Gaza, has published a major position paper for Hamas to explain its political positions.

It adds very little to what we already knew.

The paper lists nineteen positions, which include:

1. Palestine from the river to the sea, and from north to south, is a land of the Palestinian people and its homeland and its legitimate right, we may not a waiver an inch or any part thereof, no matter what the reasons and circumstances and pressures.

2. Palestine - all of Palestine - is a land of Islamic and Arab affiliation, a blessed sacred land, that has a major portion in the heart of every Arab and Muslim

3. No recognition of the legitimacy of the occupation whatever; this is a principled position, political and moral, and therefore do not recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and recognition of "Israel" and the legitimacy of its presence on any part of Palestine no matter how long; nand it will not be long, God willing.

4. Liberation of Palestine is a national duty; it is the responsibility of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nation, it is also a humanitarian responsibility in accordance with the requirements of truth and justice.

5. Jihad and the armed resistance is the right and real method for the liberation of Palestine, and the restoration of all the rights, together with, of course, all forms of political and diplomatic struggle including in the media, public and legal [spheres]; with the need to mobilize all the energies of the nation in the battle

6. Resistance is a means and not an end, if we have another way without blood and painful sacrifices to liberate the land and ending the occupation and the restoration of rights we would take it, but history proves that there is no option to expel the occupiers and restore the land and rights without using all forms of resistance, led by armed resistance.

7. We are not fighting Jews because they are Jews, but are fighting the Zionist Jews occupiers, the aggressors, and we will fight anyone who tries to attack us or usurp our rights or occupy our land, regardless of religion or affiliation, race or nationality.

8. The Zionist project is a racist project based on murder and terrorism, and so it is the enemy of the Palestinian people and the nation, and is a real threat to them, and a huge threat to its security and interests, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a danger to the security of the humanitarian community and the interests and stability.

9. Jerusalem is an Islamic and Christian [holy place], we many not give it up not relinquish any part of it, it is our right and our spirit, our history, our present and our future, which is the capital of Palestine, and dearest to the hearts of Arabs and Muslims.... Israel has no legitimacy and no right to to Jerusalem at all, nor any legitimacy nor right to all of Palestine. And all actions of Israel in Jerusalem to Judaize and settle and falsification of facts and attempts to fabricate history are void.

10. Upholding the right of return of Palestinian refugees and displaced persons to their homes from which they were expelled, or were prevented from returning, both in the occupied territories in 1948 or 1967, to all of Palestine; we refuse to compromise in any way for this right. At the same time reject all settlement projects or alternative homelands.... [some detail on how people proposed Lebanon or Jordan or the Sinai as alternate homelands]

11. The unity of the Palestinian land: The West Bank (including Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip and the occupied land of 1948, one land with all its geography, it is one unit, not part separated from the other, which is a whole nation of the Palestinian people. The situation in Gaza now is exceptional and imposed on us, and not a natural situation, we can not accept that Gaza is separate...

12. And the unity of the Palestinian people Muslims and Christians, and all its intellectual, political and ideological components, and with all the strength and factions, militant and political.

13. The unity of the Palestinian political system and its institutions, and national unity of his authority through the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which needs to be rebuilt on valid grounds, to include all the Palestinian forces and components. ...

14. ...The state is the real first fruit of liberation; there is no alternative to the establishment of a Palestinian state, with real sovereignty over the entire territory.

15. [True] Palestinian national independence: a principle which is based on the non-dependence on any country or party in the world; friend or an ally or an enemy or opponent. But that does not mean that we ...are weakening the Arab and Islamic role, Palestine was and will remain Arab and Islamic, but also a humanitarian issue.

16. Institution-building and the Palestinian National authorities should always be on the basis of democracy, and in the forefront of free and fair elections, equal opportunities....

17. Non-interference in the affairs of other countries, and not to engage in themes and conflicts and alignments between nations....

18. The unity of the nation with all its components, ethnic and religious, we are one nation...

19. Any position or a political programs or tactical initiatives or must be in line with the Palestinian national principle that we have mentioned....therefore we reject any draft agreements or settlements that diminish those principles, principles affecting Palestinian national rights.

There's more, including more about "resistance," but the point is that these principles have been clearly communicated before - the utter rejection of Israel or Jewish rights to any land now and forever and the decision never to abandon terrorism.

Yet Western analysts continue to believe that Hamas is moderating - because it says that if the Jews can be forced out of their land without blood, Hamas would happily allow them to leave.

The amount of self-deception (or, sometimes, just deception) about Hamas in the West is unconscionable. Their policy is right here, multi-layered, in black and white, and it leaves no room for Jewish national rights.

Anyone who says that Israel must make temporary accommodations with a Hamas that is sworn to utterly destroy Israel simply helps Hamas achieve its goal.

There is one interesting omission here, though. In the past Hamas was more upfront about the ultimate goal - an Islamic caliphate that encompasses the entire Middle East. But in a manifesto meant to destroy Israel, emphasizing that goal would water down the message. Save that for phase 2 of the strategy.

It is worth emphasizing that the Islamists think in terms of centuries, not election cycles. This is a true strategy, and they are patient. To them, the Crusades were a century-long blip, and the existence of Israel is even less permanent than that. This is why all concessions are welcomed by Hamas without their giving up anything - because every little bit adds up over time.