Arabs Reject Bi-National State
In interviews with Breitbart Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s assertion that Israel will become a bi-national state if the so-called two-state solution is not implemented.
That “solution” calls for the creation of a separate Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and eastern sections of Jerusalem.
Kerry’s remarks were met with consternation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared at a cabinet meeting on Sunday that “Israel will not be a bi-national state.”
The Israeli leader was not alone in dismissing Kerry’s Middle East analysis. Mahmud Alhabash, an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, told Breitbart Jerusalem that Kerry should pressure Israel if he wishes to prevent a bi-national state.
Stated Alhabash: “We strive to reach an independent state, and the American policy does not involve sufficient pressure on Israel in order for the latter to work in promoting the idea of two states. As far as we are concerned, we continue to strive for an independent state within the 1967 borders whose capital is Jerusalem, and the Israeli side is the one withholding all progress in the negotiations and continues to strengthen the settlements, demolishing homes and killing innocent people.”
Alhabash, however, did not mention that Abbas has rebuffed Netanyahu’s repeated calls to resume negotiations. Nor did his statement acknowledge Netanyahu’s unprecedented freeze of settlements – Jewish construction projects in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank – as a “gesture” to restart long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Alhabash’s focus on Israel as impeding the creation of a Palestinian state also ignores the detail of Abbas walking away from a state offer from then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2007. The Abbas advisor similarly glossed over the history of Yasir Arafat rejecting U.S.-mediated talks at Camp David in 2000, instead retuning to the West Bank to launch an intifada, or terror war, targeting Israelis. The Camp David talks offered Arafat a generous state in Gaza, the West Bank, and eastern Jerusalem, including authority on the Temple Mount, according to reports.
Hader Habeeb, a senior leader in the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad, told Breitbart Jerusalem, “We too in the Islamic Jihad, and I think in the other Palestinian organizations as well, reject the idea. Our people have not sacrificed a great deal just so that someone would eventually try and force us with this solution, which legitimizes the continuation of the occupation over our land. We are determined to expel the occupation while the Americans are maintaining their policy, which leans in favor of Israel.
Hamas Spokesman Husam Badran also reacted to Kerry’s “bi-national” claim. Badran told Breitbart Jerusalem that “the failure of the political negotiations is a product of the Zionist occupation policy and the enemy’s refusal to recognize the basic rights of the Palestinian people.”
Hamas Not Amused By Carson’s Gaffe
Hamas was not amused with reports that Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson pronounced their name like the Mediterranean chickpea dish “hummus” during a forum Thursday hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition.
A video of the alleged mispronunciation went viral on Arabic social media outlets.
In response, Hamas Spokesman Husam Badran released the following statement exclusively to Breitbart Jerusalem: “Hummus is food and Hamas is a leading Palestinian movement, Mr. Carson. Historical experience shows that no one can surpass Hamas or eradicate Hamas. Carson’s hummus pronunciation shows that he plans to lead a policy hostile toward Hamas but he will not succeed. Hamas takes its influence from its people, from the Arabs and Muslims and not from America, which always supports the Zionists. A person who wants to lead the U.S. and doesn’t know the name of a very important movement is not someone who can deal with serious challenges.”