Izzat Abdul Hadi, a researcher and writer, is the new head of the Palestinian delegation to Australia. Previously the head of a Palestinian community development organisation and a founder of the Palestinian non-government organisation Network, this is his first diplomatic posting. Green Left Weekly's Kim Bullimore spoke to Abdul Hadi about the new Palestinian government and the war on Gaza and Lebanon.
Can you comment on Israel's current attack on Gaza?
Israel's policy of aggression [towards Palestine] is longstanding. We have tried to say that Israel is violating international humanitarian and human rights laws and that this will not lead to a sustainable peace.
I don't know if Israel will reach a point that it realises the importance [of establishing] the Palestinian state. I'm not sure if it believes there is a Palestinian partner or if it is ready to negotiate a long-lasting, sustainable and comprehensive settlement. This is the problem.
I think the [Israeli] military establishment believe [the current military campaign] will lead to a sort of agreement which will be for its benefit. But this would be a fatal mistake.
Using excessive power will not lead Palestinians to surrender. On the contrary, it will lead the Palestinians to be more determined to achieve their national rights and a viable Palestinian state in the occupied territories of 1967, the right of return for refugees, and [to make] East Jerusalem our capital. This would be part of any comprehensive peace in the region.
Palestinians have already compromised a lot: we agreed to a two-state solution and this was not easy. In 1988, we agreed to establish our state on just 22% of historic Palestine.
In January, Hamas was elected to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. What has been its role since then?
The transparent and accountable election in Palestine was a response to international demands to become more democratic. Unfortunately, the international community did not like the outcome; they support the process, but they do not want to recognise the outcome.
This is a clear-cut double standard and will lead to more extremism and fundamentalism in the Arab world. [The West] should respect the results of the elections.
Do you think that the election of Hamas will put the occupation back on the political agenda?
Our overall objective is to end the occupation. Around this we are all unified, but we have differences about how this may be done.
What has Fatah's role been since the election?
Unfortunately, even before the election, there has been a huge polarisation between Fatah and Hamas and you do not have a third democratic bloc which can balance the two. So now we have a clear power struggle.
The National Reconciliation Document of the Palestinian Prisoners [ The discussion should be around the national interest of the Palestinians. Fatah should accept that it failed in the election, and it should also try to solve its internal problems. Hamas should be more flexible, and it needs to develop a concrete political program. The problem is that Fatah only has a program focussed on negotiations, and Hamas only has one based on resistance. Between negotiations and resistance there are lots of options.
[Kim Bullimore is a member of the Melbourne Palestine Solidarity Network].