Hamas Really Needs A Press Secretary

What is the Hamas message on Israel?
It seems to depend on the day of the week, who is speaking--and how long they speak for.

Mahmoud Zahar seems to want a truce with Israel:

A Hamas strongman in Gaza, on Friday, said the group does not want an escalation in fighting with Israel despite a rise in violence in recent weeks.


Mahmoud Zahar said Hamas is "committed to the calm" that has largely held since Operation Cast Lead in the coastal strip nearly two years ago. But there has been an uptick in rocket and mortar fire into Israel and Israeli military airstrikes on Gaza recently.

Zahar insisted the unofficial cease-fire is not a sign of weakness. He spoke to thousands of supporters after Friday prayers in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.

Unfortunately, calm to Hamas does not preclude firing missiles, rockets and mortar shells at Israeli civilians:

Since the beginning of 2010, over 200 Grad missiles, Qassam rockets and mortar shells have been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.

I guess that would explain why, the more Zahar spoke, the more it became clear that the truce was not a truce for peace:

Zahar also hinted that Hamas was using [the calm] to rearm and reorganize, and criticized rivals in the Palestinian Authority for fresh arrests of Hamas members in the West Bank.

Another Hamas member, Muhammad Deif, did not even allow for the illusion of a truce:

Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing, said the Palestinians will not give up their struggle until Israel ceases to exist.

In a statement issued Saturday to mark 23 years since the Islamist group was founded, Deif also vowed to release all Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. "We promise to release them and break the (prison) bars despite the occupiers' efforts," he said.

In a direct message to Israel, Deif said, "You will disappear and we will have Palestine. We won’t wave a white flag as long as even one Muslim remains."

That's a long way from the beginning of the year when word was that Hamas was ready to recognize Israel:

Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik, Hamas's most senior representative in the West Bank, said on Wednesday.

And then again, just a few weeks ago Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh himself said that Hamas could recognize Israel:

The Islamist Hamas movement, whose charter advocates the elimination of Israel, would accept the outcome of a Palestinian referendum on a future peace treaty with Israel, its Gaza leader said on Wednesday.

Ismail Haniyeh, addressing a rare news conference in the Israeli-blockaded enclave, signaled a softening of Hamas's long-standing position prohibiting the ceding of any part of the land of what was British-mandated Palestine until 1948.

But that was before 2 weeks later Haniyeh said Hamas would not recognize Israel:

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says Hamas will not recognize Israel as the resistance movement is marking the 23rd anniversary of its establishment.

Haniyeh made the remarks as tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Gaza Strip to celebrate the ceremony on Tuesday.

The crowd rallied in Gaza City's Kateeba Square.

"We support our people and Hamas will not retreat from the Palestinian territories," the Hamas official said. "We will not recognize Israel."

There's just too many terrorists saying too many different things.
Hamas really needs a press secretary to keep a unified message.
I suggest Helen Thomas.

Technorati Tag: Hamas.