Khaled Meshaal
From AICbackground
Khaled Meshaal
Political Leader of Hamas
Quotes:
"(Our) entire nation is targeted. It should fight like the (the West Bank) towns of Rafah and Jenin as well as Fallujah (in Iraq) and it will triumph over the Zionists and America.”
“We do not target civilians and we do not go out to kill civilians. But the practices of the Zionist enemy push the people to fight with every form of conflict.”
"Hamas changed a lot and great efforts have been made to conform with the realistic positions of Palestinians and Arabs. When Hamas says with other Palestinians forces that we demand for a Palestinian country as the border was back in 1967. Isn't this a development change?"
Personal Background
You were born in 1956 in the West Bank, but in 1967 you moved with your family to Kuwait where you studied physics at Kuwait University and stayed until the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. At the young age of 15, you had already joined the Muslim Brotherhood and while at university you started an Islamic Student Group. While in Kuwait, you became the head of Hamas in Kuwait and when you moved to Jordan you became the head of Hamas in Jordan. You were imprisoned in and then expelled from Jordan; you eventually took your family to Qatar, where you left them while you moved to Syria, where you still reside.
Hamas in Jordan
After Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, you moved to Jordan, where Palestinians make up some 60% of the population. You took over the operation of a Hamas bureau in the capital, Amman, where you were in charge of international fundraising for Hamas. You also expanded the group's foreign relations with countries such as Iran and Syria.
In 1997, Israeli agents tried to kill you. The operation was authorized by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which described you as the "pre-eminent figure in Hamas and responsible for the murder of innocent Israeli civilians." Israeli Mossad agents disguised as Canadian tourists injected poison into your ear but you were rushed to hospital before it took hold. Your life was saved by King Hussein of Jordan; he demanded the Israeli Government hand over the antidote. The agents were arrested and exchanged for an Israeli apology and the release of Sheikh Yassin (the former Hamas Leader who was later assassinated by the Israelis in 2004) and 19 other prisoners.
As Leader of Hamas...
King Hussein's son and successor King Abdullah in Jordan closed down the Hamas office and you were briefly imprisoned, after which you went to Qatar and then Syria, where you took over the Damascus operation of Hamas. You believe that ‘Israel misunderstands the essence of resistance, wrongly believing it is dependent on organized leadership.’ In fact you say "it is a spirit that pervades among our people with their different factions. In short, the fall of our leaders strengthens our movement rather than weakens it." At another point you said that "terrorism and violence has always been the declared policy of the Zionist state, and what (Israeli prime Minister) Sharon is doing is an extension of what has been the case since the establishment of that state." You believe that the masses in the Arab streets provide a better answer to the Israeli ‘problem’ than those Arab leaders still clinging to outmoded thinking. Recently, you have claimed that there can be a settlement that involves Israel receding to its pre-1967 boundaries. This is a great compromise that you have made.
"Negotiations, politics, they have proved futile for our cause. They have led toy the squandering of our national rights through concessions and compromises in one deal after another," you said. You also wrote that, ‘(w)hether at the negotiating table or on the battlefield US interference has consistently tipped the balance in favor. It is a major battle and our enemy is not only Israel but the US. To go into this battle we have to find a partner to stand by the Palestinians. This requires the involvement of all Arabs and Muslims. We all know, after all, that the Israeli-American project targets not just the Palestinians but regimes and peoples across the Arab and Muslim world." You have said that the Hamas response to Israel's deadly missile strike against Sheikh Yassin will be confined to Israel and the Palestinian territories. "One of our priorities is to respond to Sharon's crime. We will not say what kind of response but I say that our resistance will be confined to fighting the Zionist occupation on Palestinian land."
Corporal Gilad Shalit Affair
You have played a central role in the Corporal Gilad Shalit Affair, not necessarily by your own choosing however. On June 25th, 2006 the military wing of Hamas abducted/captured an Israeli soldier by Hamas. Many, including the Israelis believe that you had a direct role in the decision to take soldiers. And hence, this put you in a central role to try and bring the situation to a close, which has not yet happened.
Gaza-West Bank Split
Since Hamas' take-over of the Gaza Strip, the relationship between you and Ismail Haniya has lent itself to much speculation. You cannot enter the Palestinian Territories for fear of Israeli retaliation (either assassination or imprisonment); and although you are head of Hamas, it is unclear what the power relationship between you and Haniya is, as he is actually in power on the ground. You are very frustrated, however, that many countries have refused to recognize Hamas after the win in a clearly democratic election. You are also frustrated with Israel's insistence to negotiate with Fatah, and leave out Hamas completely, especially after you stated that Hamas could live with Israel, if it ended the occupation and withdrew to pre-1967 boundaries.
Role-Playing Notes
You have called for inter-Palestinian dialogue to bring about a solution to all the differences between all the Palestinian people. You have also stated your desire to dialog with many more countries. Because you do not live in Palestine, you have the freedom to travel and serve as almost a foreign officer of Hamas, meeting with different countries, groups and people. You also highlight the differences between military policies (for example you see the Shalit affair as a military affair) and other policies. You think Hamas has changed quite a bit and highlight that it is now willing to accept Israel's presence if it ends the occupation and withdrawals to the pre-1967 boundaries.
Selected Resources
It is HIGHLY recommended that you at least watch (via the first link) the CNN interview with yourself, conducted in 2007.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/26/btsc.perry.hamas/index.html
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11111/
