October 13, 1995
Web posted at: 12:25 a.m. EDT (0425 GMT)
From Correspondent Jerrold Kessel
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (CNN) -- Like a born politician, Yasser
Arafat is courting the religious community here, lining up
their support in anticipation of Palestinian elections next
year.
After negotiating a historic peace accord with the Israelis, Arafat is now negotiating the uncharted territory of the Palestinian political landscape.
As a rule, Palestinian religious leaders don't take an interest in politics. But Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, maintains he's drawn the Islamic militant group Hamas into the political process. "The most important thing is that they have a decision to participate with all their capability in all the political procedures, including the elections," Arafat told CNN. (425K AIFF sound or WAV sound)
A Hamas spokesman in Jordan denied the group has decided to participate in the political process, but in Gaza, Hamas leaders were not ruling it out. Dr. Mahmoud a Zahar, a leading Hamas political figure who was recently freed after spending 105 days in a Palestinian detention center, said his group is a political power in the region. "Regardless the percentage, we should participate in the political activity," he said. (146K AIFF sound or WAV sound)
Zahar said a decision to participate in the elections scheduled for early next year would come only if an agreement with Arafat is hammered out. The option is being weighed by a Hamas delegation that has returned from Sudan after consultations with the outside leadership.
Central to the agreement is Arafat's demand that Hamas cease attacks on Israelis. Getting such a promise could prove difficult.
"The right of resistance and the struggle against the occupation should continue," said Dr. Ghazi Hammad of the Hamas weekly newspaper Al Watan. But he added that "some factors now may push Hamas to make agreement with the Palestinian Authority to prevent bloodshed, in the Gaza Strip and West Bank." (285K AIFF sound or WAV sound)
On the face of things, the Islamic militants may still have the capacity to prevent self-rule from taking root in the West Bank. But Hamas sources in Gaza said they realize that continuing attacks on Israelis could prove to be counter- productive, not only for Palestinian interests but also for Hamas' own interests.
Israeli troops have started pulling out of West Bank villages, a process that will be repeated on a grander scale in the weeks ahead.
The extremists may be opposed to Arafat's peace with Israel, but they don't want any blame for interfering with the joy of other Palestinians who are now seeing the backs of Israeli soldiers.
Arafat's police are now very much in control of things in Gaza. In recent months, Arafat has used everything at his disposal to exert control over political opponents. In seeking to stitch together an agreement with Hamas, he hopes for enough of an interlude to make self-rule work in the West Bank.
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