Hamad, who is considered a leading moderate voice in Hamas, said a win by MB candidate Mohamed Morsi in the June 16-17 runoff in Egypt would be a boon to Palestinians, ending the frosty relationship Hamas had with Egypt under former President Hosni Mubarak. Morsi's opponent, former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik, served under Mubarak.
Hamad said that no one in Hamas supports formally recognizing Israel as a nation, yet his group would commit to a cease-fire if Israel did too.
As Hamas marks the five-year anniversary next week of its takeover of the Gaza Strip after a battle with rival Palestinian faction Fatah, Hamad said both sides should acknowledge that the split has prevented each from realizing its goals for the Palestinian people.
Hamad said if the MB, which helped create Hamas, wins the presidency in Egypt ‘It will make Israel weaker and more isolated. Israel will have no friends or alliances left in this region. Because now we are listening to the voice of the people, and not the voice of Mubarak or the late Libyan ruler Gaddafi, we will find that people are very sympathetic with the Palestinian cause. It will be important to improving the life here.... But it's a mistake to think that Egypt will only support Hamas and not the other sides. They will give more to assistance to the Palestinian people, not just Hamas.’
Darul Ihsan Media Desk