The J-Post reports today that Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas Prime Minister, has announced: "We will deal positively with any initiative aimed at ending the offensive." This is a change of tune from the bellicose statements issued over the weekend by Hamas officials in Damascus. Haniyeh is in hiding in the West Bank. Of course, he refused to accept defeat: "We are confident that eventually we would achieve victory and crush the aggression." Then why not keep fighting? "We have confidence in Allah because He's on our side. We are nearing victory over the Zionist war machine. After 17 days of fighting, I can say that the Gaza Strip and faith will prevail. With Allah's help, the Palestinian people will prevail over the infidels," he assured his listeners.
I guess the question now for Hamas in Gaza is: "to whom do we listen?" Prime Minister Haniyeh, or Meshaal in Damascus? I assume that Haniyeh's new line indicates that Hamas's call for a renewed Intifada on the West Bank failed, so the organization's isolation is now virtually total.
After viewing Haniyeh's speech, a Fatah official in Ramallah commented: "This speech shows that Hamas has been defeated. Haniyeh has actually raised the white flag."
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