A senior Hamas spokesman on Sunday reassured Palestinians that the conciliatory language toward Israel coming out of Palestinian unity government talks is all for show, and that ultimately no one recognizes the Jewish state’s right to exist.
Writing on his Facebook page in Arabic, Hamas spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein revealed that “behind closed doors,” even Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the darling of Western leaders, admitted that remarks in English are to be ignored by the Arab masses.
According to al-Ghussein, Abbas told him and other Palestinian leaders that “when I go out and say that the government is my government and it recognizes ‘Israel’ and so on, fine - these words are meant to trick the Americans.”
The spokesman went on to stress that all media statements coming out of both Gaza and the “West Bank” are meant only for international consumption, and do not reflect the true sentiments in the region.
“Guys, let me (continue) saying what I say to the media. Those words are meant for the Americans and the occupation (i.e., Israel), not for you,” explained al-Ghussein. “What’s important is what we agree on among ourselves. …Don’t harp on everything I tell the media, forget about the statements in the media.”
Hamas has never shied away from telling the truth of the matter, even when it directly contradicted what Abbas and others were telling the Americans and Israel in English.
The problem has always been that Washington and other Western powers are so desperate for a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process that they will gladly make themselves willing fools by swallowing Abbas’ statements, while ignoring Hamas’ revelations.