A debate is underway within Hamas about whether to change its name to the Muslim Brotherhood - Palestine Chapter, to get round the restrictions placed on talking to it after being denounced as a terrorist organization. Hamas's strategic goal to rebuild its relations with the West is one of its important tasks. If it succeeds, it will throw a gauntlet to Israel - whether to talk with Hamas's leaders.
Hamas's leaders have made a tactical decision to freeze its military operations against Israel and focus on political consolidation. It adopted the policy of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, and it is a direct result of the political upheaval in the Arab world.
People who follow the movements of Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal in the past few months probably suffer from eyestrain. One day he is in Cairo, then in Khartoum, where he moves on to Hamas's made base these days, the Emirate of Qatar. He sometimes stops over in Damascus, to settle a few affairs, and to receive an update on the crisis in Syria. It is doubtful if there is a leader who can challenge Mashaal's frequent flyer rankings. Maybe Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen).
This week Mashaal touched down in Amman, 12 years after he was expelled in disgrace by King Abdallah II. Even though he is not a head of state, the Hamas political bureau chief is one of the most intriguing leaders in the era of upheavals in the Arab world. Hamas aspires to replace Fatah as the leader of the Palestinian people.
Khaled Mashaal has a central role to play in this strategy. If all goes according to plan then Mashaal is the leading candidate in his own eyes and for others, to stand at the head of the pyramid.
The Hamas regime is no longer a bitter enemy or persecutor, and the proper approach in taking a leadership role is to focus on the hearts and stomachs of ordinary citizens.
Hamas has not jettisoned its relations with Tehran but understands that the future is in a Sunni Muslim world that is being renewed. The leadership is seeking credibility with the Arab voter who chooses religious parties and understands that a window of opportunity is opening. What leader can ignore a political movement like Hamas when the man in the street in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco is warmly embracing Islamic parties in the ballot box.
In Amman, the king has not been ousted but the royal palace has its back against the wall due to the growing public demand for fundamental change. The king cannot carry on appointing governments for long or pushing through parliamentary decisions while persecuting opponents to the regime and enabling senior officials to get rich at the public's expense. The religious camp is a central player in the demand for reform and in stormy protests against the palace. In this reality, the king will find it difficult to explain his continued lack of relations with Khaled Mashaal, the favorite of the Islamic opposition.
A flexible approach to his critics
In his trip to Jordan, Mashaal took a calculated step to move closer to the focus of power which is fermenting in the contemporary Middle East. Of his warm ties with Turkey, much has been written and said. The Egyptian revolution bestowed a gift upon him with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood from the back benches of the opposition to center stage. The Qatar princes, which has sponsored Hamas for many years, has freed him from having to plead with the Jordanian king and smoothed his path back to Amman in the event that the Syrian regime collapses. Mashaal is a Qatari citizen and owns a house in the capital Doha.
The Hamas leadership is also operating through internal spheres. The reconciliation with the Palestinian Authority has hit problems but the two sides are more open to each other today than ever to invest efforts in this endeavor.
Abu Mazen for his part has despaired of the chances of a breakthrough with the Netanyahu government and is looking for public achievements before he steps down. At the same time, Mashaal has adopted a flexible approach towards his critics within Hamas led by Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud A-Zahar. In the spirit of the liberal mood that is sweeping through the region, he has expressed readiness to leave his position as head of the political bureau, which he has occupied for 16 years. One should not be quick to interpret such a departure as retirement. If there were to be elections to find a replacement, Mashaal would continue to lead the movement wearing a different hat.
In recent months, an interesting argument is being conducted in the ranks of Hamas. It has been suggested by Arab friends that it change its name to the Muslim Brotherhood - Palestine Chapter. The aim is to enable the EU and US to get round the restrictions preventing them from talking to the movement, which has been denounced as a terrorist organization.
The proposal does not have a majority in Hamas and is likely to be ditched. Opponents are skeptical that a name change which change Israel's attitude to Hamas and the Haniyeh government.
Meanwhile, the sentimental debate has revealed an internal desire within Hamas to break the international boycott. This strategic ambition to rebuild and renew relations with the West is one of the movement's most important tasks in the coming years. If it succeeds then it will pose a challenge for Israel - whether or not to talk to the Hamas leadership.
Jacky Hougy is the Arab affairs commentator for “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal).
Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 31, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012