Hamas rebrands itself, dropping call for Israel’s destruction from new manifesto

But the Palestinian group retains its goal of eventually 'liberating' all of historic Palestine, which includes what is now Israel.

Khaled Mashaal, Hamas's outgoing leader in exile, speaks during a conference in Doha on May 1, 2017 at which he unveiled the group's new political programme. Karim Jaafar / AFP

GAZA CITY // Hamas on Monday unveiled a new, seemingly more pragmatic political programme which the group hopes will help end its years of international isolation.

With the new manifesto, Hamas rebrands itself as an Islamic national movement, rather than as a branch of the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood which has been outlawed by Egypt. It also drops explicit language calling for Israel’s destruction, though it retains the goal of eventually “liberating” all of historic Palestine, which includes what is now Israel.

It’s not clear if the changes will be enough to improve relations with Israel and Egypt, both of which have been enforcing a crippling border blockade against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip since the group seized the territory in 2007. Hamas has also been shunned by the West, which has set recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence as a condition for ties.

The group’s move away from the Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, also appears aimed at improving relations with Gulf Arab states, which label the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation.

Hamas’s new five-page programme, a result of four years of internal deliberations, was presented at a news conference in Doha by Khaled Mashaal, the group’s outgoing leader in exile. The group has said Mr Mashaal’s replacement is to be named later this month, after the completion of secret leadership elections.

“We wanted to present a document that truly reflects Hamas’s ideology and consensus and to present it to our supporters ... and the international community,” Mr Mashaal said.

The new platform was presented at a time of escalating tensions between Hamas and its main political rival, the Fatah movement of western-backed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas drove out forces loyal to Mr Abbas in its 2007 takeover of Gaza, a year after defeating Fatah in Palestinian parliament elections. Reconciliation efforts have failed.

In recent weeks, Mr Abbas has threatened to exert financial pressure on Hamas, including cutting wage payments and aid to Gaza, as a way of forcing its rival to cede ground. But leaders of the group have vowed they will not budge.

The war of words with Hamas has been seen as an attempt by Mr Abbas to position himself as a leader of all Palestinians ahead of his first meeting with US president Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. The US president has said he will try to broker Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on a peace deal, despite repeated failures over the past two decades.

In the past, Hamas has sharply criticised Mr Abbas’s political programme, which rests upon setting up a Palestinian state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem – territory that Israel captured in 1967.

In its 1987 founding charter, Hamas called for the establishment of an Islamic state in historic Palestine, or the territory between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, which also includes Israel.

The new programme for the first time raises the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, saying it’s a “national consensus formula”.

The wording suggests Hamas considers this to be an interim step, however, not a way of ending the conflict. The new document does not contain an explicit call for Israel’s destruction, but says the “goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project”. The document refers to historic Palestine, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, which includes Israel.

While Hamas’s founding charter was filled with anti-Jewish references, the new document stresses that the group bears no enmity toward Jews. It says its fight is with those who occupy Palestinian lands.

Mr Mashaal is to step down as Hamas leader later this month. Two possible contenders for the number one spot are Moussa Abu Marzouk, a former Hamas leader, and Ismail Haniyeh, a former senior Hamas official in Gaza.

Mr Mashaal’s announcement was initially scheduled for 7pm on Monday, but was delayed after a Doha hotel withdrew consent at the last minute to host the news conference. Hamas scrambled to find a new venue.

* Associated Press