Hamas communiqués explain their approach and strategy to the intifada

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has been the mainstay of the al-Aqsa Intifada in Palestine. In this issue, we reprint two recent communiqués explaining their approach to the conduct of the Islamic resistance struggle to the zionist occupation of Palestine.

Communiqué I
The change in Zionist aggression necessitates a qualitative leap in the struggle.

"If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, transgress ye likewise against him."

Yesterday the enemy committed a new massacre killing eight of our people including two of the political leaders, the martyrs Jamal Mansour and Jamal Salim.

A few days ago other massacres were committed in Fara refugee camp, Khalil, Bethlehem and Gaza strip in which scores of civilians were killed in addition to members of our people’s resistance organizations.

Then there was the serious step of storming and desecrating the holy Aqsa Mosque by enemy soldiers and policemen and the attempt to lay down the foundation stone of their alleged temple on the ruins of the Aqsa.

Our patient, Mujahid Palestinian people; our honest Arab and Islamic masses:

This means that Sharon is committing continuous attritional massacres and an all-out war of annihilation – this means a serious qualitative change in the aggression that necessitates an important and inevitable leap in the struggle on the part of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic peoples.

Our steadfast people on the land of Palestine; the inevitable Palestinian change should entail:

1. an open confrontation in each and every part in Palestine using all means.

2. mobilizing all Palestinian combat potentials: the factions, police and all those owning weapons in the Palestinian Authority and among our people. It is not religiously or nationally acceptable that guns of tens of thousands within the PA remain curbed in face of such Zionist massacres! All Palestinians are targeted, so let all of them participate in the combat and the defense.

3. there should be a serious plan in which all should cooperate to terminate once and for all the dangers of agents who serve as the enemy’s eyes and dirty tools.

4. there should be no other alternative to resistance and intifada. All those advocating more contacts with the enemy, a ceasefire and dealing with American and Western attempts to calm down and end the intifada should shut up! All must unite over the resistance program.

Our Arab and Islamic masses everywhere:

It is a shame on Arabs and Muslims to stand idle by vis-a-vis the daily and continuous extermination of an Arab, Islamic people on the land of Isra’ wal Mi’raj!

There is no excuse today for the Nation for not shouldering its duty towards Palestine and its people. Consequently, it is high time for an Arab and Islamic change to take place quickly and seriously.

This necessitates among other things:

1. Jihad against the Zionist Jews in this stage is a compulsory duty on all not only the Palestinian people, but rather on each and every Arab and Muslim concerned with the Aqsa, the first Muslim Qibla, and concerned with Al-Quds and Palestine, and concerned with his Palestinian brother who is slaughtered daily and who is fighting alone with modest weapons against an army equipped with a huge military arsenal and supported by all world Jews.

It is no longer acceptable to say that Arabs and Muslims are not capable of launching Jihad! Rather each and every Arab and Muslim is capable of launching Jihad against the Zionist Jews when he is true with himself and really intends to perform this duty.

Don’t the Jews fight your brothers and target you all whether in the east or west?

What will Sharon and the Zionist entity’s criminals do if they finish off your brothers in Palestine, God forbid? And will regret be of any use then?

Each and every Arab and Muslim believing in these facts that lie before his very eyes should be content with Allah’s permission to defend himself, his brothers and sanctities: "To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily, Allah is Most Powerful for their aid."

2. The Islamic and national movements and factions in our Nation should bear their responsibility in this open and ferocious battle. Otherwise what will they utter before Almighty Allah? What will they tell history and future posterity? What will they say to the convoys of martyrs: the children, women, the old and men?

Why is the Palestinian, Arab, Muslim always the target of murder at the hands of Zionist occupiers? why don’t the Zionist Jews be targets as well?

Do not wait for that from the Palestinian people alone, for despite their presence in a big prison and tightening siege around their cities, villages and camps, they fight with all what they can and sacrifice their dearest men, heroes and leaders. It is about time to perform your role and Almighty Allah will ask you about that; and history does not have mercy on anyone. Your life is meaningless without sharing your brothers in Palestine in the duty of Jihad.

"O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter."

O Allah we have said what we have to say, so be our witness.

The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
Palestine
Wednesday 11th Jumada Awal 1422H
1st August 2001AD.

Communiqué II
Confronting Sharon’s massacres: resistance, retaliation and no return to negotiations

Zionist aggression against our people witnessed a new escalation in the past few days represented in intensifying storming operations of Palestinian cities and the assassination of more intifada activists. The step follows the moral and security defeat that befell the Zionist occupation at the hands of the martyr-heroes who blew up the Zionist security theory and proved failure of terrorist Sharon’s government in achieving security for Zionist occupiers.

Following the Quds and Haifa operations that terrorized the Zionists, Sharon resorted to political steps such as occupying the Orient House, then followed it with escalation in military aggression that led to the martyrdom of numerous Palestinians.

In a single day, yesterday, Sunday, six Palestinians were martyred in Rafah, Gaza and Nablus including two small children in a fresh cold-blooded massacre by the occupation army. Such escalation aims at increasing pressures on our people and pushing them to despair in order to abandon resistance against occupation in addition to pressuring the Palestinian Authority to return to effective security coordination and resume policy of detention of Palestinian freedom-fighters. The PA actually responded by arresting a number of Hamas cadres at the pretext of having links to the martyrdom operation in Al-Quds. In the light of such Zionist escalation and aggression, the Zionist enemy circulated possibility of resuming political talks with the PA. A number of Arab parties also exerted efforts in a bid to revive the negotiations. Faced by such developments we would like to affirm the following:

1) The escalation of Zionist terrorism and aggression against our people reflects the Zionist occupation and the Sharon government’s misery and moral defeat. They are trying to score illusory victories over the Palestinian people to preserve their existence and cohesion.

2) The Zionist enemy’s signs about political negotiations with the PA and readiness to accept a political settlement in addition to activating role of terrorist Peres in the light of continuation and escalation of repression, terrorism and aggression aims to distract the attentions and to ensure international support for criminal Sharon’s policies and terrorism.

3) We affirm the importance of unity of our people on the option of intifada, resistance and steadfastness in its capacity as the sole option capable of ejecting occupation and putting an end to Zionist aggression and terrorism, God willing.

4) Returning to discussions on reviving negotiations with the Zionist enemy and resuming the so-called peace process is a stab in the back of the blessed intifada and lets down our people’s jihad, brave resistance and martyrs’ blood. Our people did not indulge in this intifada and resistance and did not offer martyrs and sacrifices only to submit to the criminal enemy’s demands and return to humiliating negotiation with it. Any step in this direction on the part of any Palestinian or Arab party would be met with anger on the part of our people along with the Arab and Islamic peoples.

5) We affirm that resistance will persist and escalate and that the criminal Zionist enemy will never know sleep or security as long as occupation continues. Our determined Palestinian people will not take heed of suspicious calls voiced by defeatists to halt resistance or martyrdom operations under weak pretexts. Persistence of occupation and its daily bloodbaths against our people boost the necessity for escalation of resistance and continuation of martyrdom operations.

6) We denounce the state of Arab and Muslim impotence in face of the Zionist aggression. We invite the Arab and Muslim peoples to restore their role in support of their Palestinian brothers. We also urge the Arab and Muslim governments to shoulder their responsibility in resisting aggression and adopt serious practical steps in confrontation of Sharon and his terrorist gang and not to remain captive to losing bets on the American role. It is high time for the Arab and Muslim countries to sever all kinds of relations and contacts with the Zionist enemy and to pressure the American administration through its interests in the region.

The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas
Palestine
Monday 1st Jumada Thani 1422H
20th August 2001AD.

[Hamas communiqués and other news and information can be obtained www.palestine-info.com/hamas]