by Lars Akerhaug, Oslo, Norway
Refugee minister Atef Adwan speaks in Oslo amidst a Palestinian political crisis
After three days of meetings with politicians and organisations in Norway, the refugee minister of the Palestinian Authority closed his visit to Norway speaking to 200 people in a public meeting in Oslo. The visit comes as a part of a tour that also included Sweden. Adwan was also to go to Germany, Italy and Austria, which he eventually had to cancel. “I wanted to make as much as possible of my visit to Sweden and Norway” the minister explained.
During his speech Adwan stressed the contradiction of the EU and USA pushing for the Palestinians to hold democratic elections, while when democratic elections were being held the USA and EU punished the Palestinian people. “They punished us because we didn’t give into their demands” Adwan pointed out.
Fair Peace – recognition of Israel?
At the meeting Adwan criticised the former agreements made between the PLO and Israel. “The peace was unfair, it failed”, he says. “It is time for a fair peace. It is also good for Israelis. We don’t hate the Israelis. We didn’t fight against civilians, we fought those in uniform.” he added. This in spite that the Hamas movement since the Hebron massacre in 1994 has used suicide attacks as a strategy in the struggle against the occupation. Asked about this contradiction, Adwan restated his point of view. But at the same time the refugee minister expressed his devotion for the resistance against Israeli military targets. “As long as there is an occupation there will be resistance. We are proud about the resistance” Adwan says, adding that “we did not like the Abbas statement on the last attack”, referring to the suicide bomb that stroked Tel Aviv April 18th with Islamic Jihad claiming responsibility. The Palestinian Authorities supported the action while president Abbas condemned it.
The Norwegian newspaper “Dagsavisen” described Adwan as a representative of the moderate wing of the Hamas movement. Asked if he himself would accept such a label, Adwan countered “all of us are moderate. I am among those who believe in peace.” In his speech the minister hinted a possible future recognition of Israel.
The minister was asked how this corresponds with other statements made by for instance the Cultural minister of Hamas in the Cairo conference against Imperialism and Zionism stating that the “resistance government” is not and would neither in the future recognize Israel. While in his speech in Oslo the refugee minister did not rule out a settlement with Israel talking rather of conditions for a “fair peace” that would include the right of return for the Palestinian diaspora, full authority on the West bank and Gaza, release of prisoners among other demands. “It is different speaking in Cairo, among Arabs in the Arab world. They all know Israel will not recognize the Palestinians. To speak there is like giving fatwas. ” Adwan admitted. But his message to the Western world remains one opening the door for future peace talks.
While the leadership of Hamas would before refer to Islamic terms as “hudna”, a temporary settlement to be renewed or broken after a certain period of time the Palestinian Authority could be seen as moving away from such a rhetoric. In PM Ismael Haniyeh’s article in the Guardian March 31st he ended hopefully noting that “This is a good time for peace-making – if the world wants peace.”
A political crisis erupting?
The refugee minister tried to counter the picture of a growing conflict in Gaza and on the West Bank between Fatah and Hamas. He stressed that both parties had a responsible leadership and that “I dislike such eruptions and quarrels. The good news are, security is getting better, it is actually better than two months ago. The leaderships will do their best to improve the situation.” The minister also spoke in favour of uniting the Palestinian political forces in the PLO. “If we don’t unite, we fail”, Adwan noted. The minister also stressed very carefully that he was not speaking as a member of Hamas, but as a minister of all the Palestinian people.
Asked on whether the Hamas government plans to introduce Islamic legislation Adwan explained that to pass Islamic laws would require the consensus of all the Palestinian people. “Hamas is only elected for a period of four years” he said, also opening the possibility of a future women President and describing the role of women in Palestinian society as “better than in Israel”.
Adwan connected the political problems on the West Bank and in the Gaza strip to the Israeli blockade. “They block food, water, creates a bad health condition. The Israeli army is continuing to harm civilians. The international silence convinced Israel not to stop the illegal war,” the minister lashed. “The atrocities continue, and we might face a difficult situation in the Middle East” he continued, without elaborating what he meant with a “political crisis”. “They repeat the mistakes of Iraq, punishing the people, not Saddam”, he said. However, in another vein the minister refused to call for a boycott on Israeli goods or international sanctions against Israel, stating that “sanctions are not good for the people”. He also did not see it problematic that the EU and US chose to channel the funding through the office of the President, Fatah-leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).
Strong Norwegian reception: visa granted to Hamas MP
The minister received a strong reception from major parts of the Norwegian establishment, including the leader of the General Trade Union, the leadership of the Social Democratic Youth Party and several members of Parliament including members of the Liberal party attending the meeting May 15th. The minister also met with the former Prime Minister of the Conservative Party Kaare Willoch and a representative of the Foreign Department on a bureaucrat level, Kà¥re Eltervà¥g , although the department tried to hide this. The minister also visited the congress of the Red Electoral Alliance and got standing ovations from more than 150 delegates and guests.
The massive reception could be seen as reflecting the Norwegian self-understanding of themselves as peace-brokers in the Middle East. Another sign of this is that Norway today 16th of May granted a Schengen Visa to one of the two invitees of the Norwegian Palestine Committee, Yehya al-Badsa. In another interview to Dagsavisen May 12th he and the other invited Hamas representative, Salah al-Bardawil who was barred from getting a Schengen Visa through France recently, stated that “The Jews want to establish a state from the Nile in Egypt towards Euphrates in Iraq. It is us who need recognition, not the Israelis”, Bardawil noted. While Al-Badsa clung to the traditional rhetoric of Hamas saying that the government might be willing to go for a long-lasting cease fire, “maybe 20, maybe thirty years”, if Israel would withdraw to the borders before the 1967 war.” The sign that Norway accepted his Visa could be seen as another attempt to change the political line of Hamas towards recognition. At the same time the increasingly stronger pressure in the Scandinavian countries for a governmental recognition and end to the isolation of the new Palestinian authorities could be seen as a serious aid to a troubled Palestinian government.
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