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Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Vienna, Thursday. (AP)
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| By Associated Press February 2, 2006 |
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A Palestinian Authority controlled by Hamas would be an "authority of terror," former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Thursday, reiterating that Israel will deal with the group only if it renounces violence and recognizes the Jewish state.
Peres, speaking to reporters during a visit to Vienna, said he does not expect Hamas to seek negotiations with Israel if the Islamic militant group takes over the Authority as expected because its members see themselves as "messengers of heaven."
"Hamas doesn't want to negotiate," he told reporters during a visit to Vienna. "The basic problem is that Hamas is a religious party. Hamas sees themselves as messengers of heaven. In politics you compromise, (but) religious parties don't compromise," he said.
Israel will only agree to deal with Hamas if it renounces terror and recognizes the Jewish state as a nation, Peres said.
Asked whether the European Union and the United States should stop payments to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas takes it over, Peres said: "I don't see any country financing terror - no way."
"More than Hamas won a victory, they won a dilemma," he added. "Palestinians are in a very difficult situation. They don't have cash. I don't think the Palestinians want a government that doesn't meet its obligations."
Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and elder statesman, recently joined the centrist Kadima Party, which is expected to win Israel's March 28 elections and give him a senior position.
He was in Vienna to meet with Alfred Gusenbauer, the head of Austria's opposition Social Democrats, and with President Heinz Fischer, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.
Peres had signaled a week ago that Israel might be willing to negotiate with Hamas if the Palestinian militant group disarms and renounces violence, but ruled out talks with Hamas under current conditions. Hamas pulled off a surprise election victory last week, causing concern across the 25-nation EU.
Earlier this week, EU foreign ministers jointly urged Hamas to recognize the state of Israel, renounce violence and disarm, and threatened to cut off crucial financial assistance if the demands were ignored.
In an interview for Wednesday's edition of the daily Die Presse, Peres said Hamas had to decide between terror and peace.
"If they terrorize us, we will not send them flowers. If they decide to negotiate, then we are ready to talk," the newspaper quoted him as saying, but Peres conceded he did not expect Hamas to change: "If they give up violence and recognize Israel, it's not Hamas any more."
On Thursday, Peres also warned of the threat posed by Iran's suspect nuclear program, which he said "mocked the world."
"Iran is a world danger and should be handled internationally," Peres said. "Iran never told the truth and never met its commitments," he said, contending that only "a united front" could put the necessary "political and psychological pressure" on the Tehran regime.
A look at the various arms of Hamas and who makes the group's decisions
WHO MAKES DECISIONS:
Under the group's bylaws key policy decisions should be taken by the secretive Shura Council, whose estimated 50 members include those living both inside and outside the Palestinian territories. Security and travel difficulties prevent all members from meeting in one place. It is unclear how it makes decisions, but consensus is thought to be a key. Nevertheless, the council has the final say on all major policy issues, including drawing up the list of Hamas candidates for the Jan. 25 Palestinian elections, which Hamas won. Any move to change policy toward Israel would have to win approval of the Shura Council.
DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS:
The day-to-day operations of Hamas are the responsibility of the political bureau, headed by Khaled Mashaal, a former physics teacher who lives in Damascus, Syria. Mashaal has been living outside the Palestinian territories since the 1967 Middle East war, when his family moved to Kuwait. He moved to Jordan in 1990 after Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait, and he gave up teaching to join Hamas. He was elected to the political bureau in 1996 and is recognized as the group's "supreme leader." Hamas officials say the political bureau has between seven and nine members. They do not all meet together in once place.
WHO DIRECTS ATTACKS:
The military wing enjoys autonomy in planning and executing attacks against Israel which are first approved by the political leadership. The overall commander of Hamas forces in the West Bank and Gaza is Mohammed Deif. Subordinate to him are district and then local commanders. Hamas units are organized into small cells with a maximum of seven members. The Hamas political leadership is believed to provide broad guidelines to the military wing, such as approving suicide bombings. Local commanders, however, have the authority to decide when and how to launch attacks. That reduces the chances of a security leak, which would enable the Israelis to stop an operation.
POLITICAL WING INSIDE PALESTINIAN AREAS:
Hamas' political wing inside Palestinian areas operates independently from the military command and maintains autonomous structures in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza, for example, the foreign affairs department is run by Yehiyeh Moussa, a newly elected Hamas legislator. Before the election, Hamas had established different departments, including finance, external affairs and social affairs.
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