Hamas announced yesterday that it “will not participate in a government that recognizes Israel,” jeopardizing chances for a Palestinian Unity government, the Jerusalem Post reported today.

At least three Hamas representatives have gone on the record over the past 48 hours to stress that the proposed unity government’s political platform does not recognize Israel’s right to exist – one of three conditions set by the Quartet for ending financial sanctions imposed on the Palestinians since Hamas came to power. The three, Syria-based Musa Abu Marzouk, Hamas government spokesman Ghazi Hamad and Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, strongly denied reports in the Arab media according to which the unity government would recognize Israel.
“We reject the two-state vision of [US President George W.] Bush,” Barhoum said. “This would mean recognition of Israel and we are not going to recognize Israel. We have said in very clear terms that Hamas will not participate in a government that recognizes Israel. This position is not going to change. We will not recognize the two-state solution and Israel.”
Hamad, for his part, said no one asked Hamas to recognize Israel during the negotiations over the formation of a unity government.

This is consistent with their statement of November 5th, where Hamas said it agreed “in principle” with the “idea” of the unity government but stressed that the party “would never recognize Israel.” And they are staying true to the stance they took when they won Parliament in February.
We don’t care about sanctions, we don’t care about how frail the conditions to sustain human life in Gaza are, we don’t care how many people are living on UN emergency food aid. We will “never recognize Israel.”
Even if it’s 20 square miles smaller or 20 square miles total. No matter where the borders are. They will not only never recognize an Israel themselves, they will not participate with anyone who does.
Briefly, this spring, Hamas said it was “willing” to recognize Israel. As late as September, Mohammed Ghazal could be heard saying he was recognizing reality and that the Hamas “charter was not the Qur’an”. Recognizing Israel could remove sanctions, which would drastically improve the economic condition of virtually the entire Palestinian population. Continuing with the status quo would be as detrimental to Palestine as it is to Israel. Surely, Hamas must realize this. What happened?
I think the answer lies in this simple fact: Hamas, like most other groups of people, is not a monolithic organization.
A senior “PA official” was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying “apparently there are some people in Hamas who don’t want the unity government.” Many of Hamas’ more militant voices come from exile, from places like Jordan and Syria. Syria-based Abu Marzouk said back in January that Hamas wouldn’t change its principles while Gaza-based Mahmoud Zahar, supposedly his “Gaza-based ally”, was hinting at recognition of Israel.
Perhaps things look different from Syria. It’s easy to turn down hundreds of millions of dollars when you don’t have to live without power, when it’s not your wife waiting in line for a UN cracker, not your hospital or apartment building with a stench of sewage from lack of sanitation. Syria’s a different world — where the gross GDP is over 30 times that of the West Bank and over 70 times that of Gaza, and the per capita GDP is triple and ten times higher, respectively.
Hamas A — the Hamas willing to recognize and deal with its “Zionist entity” neighbor — needs to divest itself of all associations and alliances with Hamas B. For the good of Israel, Palestine, and all humanity. One could at least in theory be a partner in a shared future, the other is Jahannam-bent on nothing but destruction of life and property as a mode of communication. Those on the front lines perhaps are beginning to tire of the incessant treadmill of armed violence, and the last thing they need are some backseat drivers egging them on to bloodshed. What will the Palestinians’ — or perhaps the world’s — last straw be? G-d forbid we should have to find out.