GAZA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Analysts said the discourse and approach of the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, recently witnessed fundamental changes and seemed to be more moderate and pragmatic than what it used to be.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has recently accepted the principle of adopting popular resistance against Israel instead of armed struggle that the movement was always sticking to.
The Islamic movement, founded in late 1987 with the destruction of Israel as its charter, has become closer than before to join the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), although it avoids recognizing or abiding by the peace treaties signed by the PLO and Israel.
In addition, the ongoing decline of Hamas' strategic ties with Iran and Syria might be considered as a new chapter in the Hamas policy. Most of the movement's leaders and their families had left Damascus and moved to other Arab states.
Hamas "has really fundamentally changed," Khalil Shahin, a West Bank-based political analyst, told Xinhua. "Hamas was obliged to make these changes because it wants to launch diplomatic ties with the United States and the West and also because of the changes in the Arab area, mainly in Syria."
According to observers and analysts, these developments are showing a real change in the movement's strategy, which seized control of the coastal enclave in mid June 2007 following several weeks of infighting with Palestinian National Authority President Abbas' security forces, and was always radical in keeping the armed resistance against Israel.
Meshaal, who hasn't left Damascus yet, stated that the movement made concessions in order to reach an agreement with Abbas' Fatah party and other Palestinian factions to use peaceful means to end the military occupation of the Palestinian territories.
However, Shahin believes that this flexibility of Hamas would embarrass the movement before its supporters and members.
"Hamas' charter calls for establishing an Islamic state on all the lands of historic Palestine," Shahin said, adding that "Hamas earned its popularity from the armed attacks and its rejection of the style of peace talks."
Mekhemer Abu Se'da, a political science professor of the Gaza- based al-Azhar university told Xinhua "Hamas is keen not to sacrifice all cards it has in hands, it accepted peaceful struggle but kept armed resistance as a choice and at the same time it wants to join the PLO without any commitments."
"Following the changes in the Arab region and the elevation of Islamists in the elections, mainly in Egypt and Tunisia ... Hamas found itself compelled to adopt these new strategies," Abu Se'da said, adding that "Hamas is comprehensively previewing its strategy."
Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based think tank, told Xinhua that Hamas' stances and strategy "haven't promoted to the level of accepting the strategy of the PLO," adding that "there are obstacles that obstruct Hamas from joining the peace process, mainly the issue of being considered as a terrorist organization."
The International Quartet for peace in the Middle East, which comprises the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, insisted that Hamas would be recognized by the world only if it condemns terrorism and recognizes Israel, among others.
"Although there are calls of politicians, local leaders and academics to let Hamas join the peace process, Hamas also can't overcome the fact that the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and Hamas' role at the moment is to push towards implementing the reconciliation."
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