Hamas Movement announced yesterday following a meeting between President Abbas and a Hamas delegation that it took a decision to join the PLO. Hamas said the decision is preliminary but there are disagreements on the details and the matter is under discussion with Hamas leadership abroad. President Abbas told reporters following the meeting with Hamas delegation that he met with Hamas representatives the issue of Cairo Declaration, whether in relation to the calm, national unity or elections and other issues. Dr. Mohammed Zahhar said Hamas decided to join the PLO after reformulating the PLO on political and procedural principles, adding that the movement is waiting to come up with an integrated position on this matter by Hamas leadership abroad tomorrow. He stated: We have a clear decision to join the PLO but the disagreement is over the charter and its principles upon which we will join and the mechanism that will decide the ratio of participants. A committee of the general secretaries was formed and the results to be reached by those committees might be the introduction to have Hamas and other factions join the PLO. When asked whether Hamas will link its joining the PLO with ratifying a Palestinian charter that talks about the historical borders of Palestine, Zahhar said: This matter has not been discussed yet but Hamas position is known: Hamas will never give up one inch of the land of Palestine. He pointed out that Hamas could reach with the Palestinian factions interim solutions and will try through the discussions in the PLO after joining to stress on the historical rights. Zahhar told al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper: the calm granted by the Palestinians in Cairo will remain till the end of the year and is also linked to the extent of Israeli commitment to halt operations against the Palestinians. The ceiling of the calming period is linked to two factors: Israeli aggression or the end of the period granted without real progress on the ground and after assessment by the factions. According to Zahhar, the aim of the calm period is to liberate the Palestinian lands and release the prisoners or the calm will end. Zahhar said there is real international pressure on the Arab countries to normalize with Israel but this is unacceptable at the level of Arab and Islamic streets. On the Israeli threats against the Aqsa Mosque and the deal of selling Christian Waqf properties to the Jews in the Holy City, Hamas leading figure Zahhar said this is illegal and Hamas will leave the Christian church to cooperate with the official investigation commission formed by the PNA and after that Hamas will have a practical decision on this. On the possibility of Hamas participating in a future Palestinian government after the PLC elections, he said when the results of the PLC elections come out, Hamas has no objection to serve the Palestinian street whether in ministries or in other capacities. Zahhar said Hamas is in direct contact with the PNA with regards to the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip to participate in the reconstruction process, explaining that Hamas presented to the officials in the PNA its vision in writing and the meetings along this direction continue between the various parties.

Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad announced yesterday that it might join the PLO and that it is studying this in the next phase. Mohammed al-Hindi, Islamic Jihad leading figure, said President Abbas agreed on the participation of Islamic Jihad members in a meeting of the PLO Executive Committee to be held this week to assist in reinforcing the calm. He said Islamic Jihad and Hamas will attend the meeting of the PLO to discuss the principles upon which the PLO should be rebuilt.

Published at Al Hayat al Jadida Newspaper on March 29, 2005