Israel builds ties with Hamas city leaders

Extract from an Exclusive in the Jerusalem Post
By MATTHEW GUTMAN

Interaction between Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank and elected Hamas municipal leaders is gathering pace, even as Israel formally insists that it has banned all contacts with the terrorist group and is urging the international community to do the same.

The Jerusalem Post has been told of several cases of close cooperation between the Civil Administration and Hamas officials in resolving specific disputes and problems in the last few weeks. Both .... say that far broader liaison is inevitable, especially as newly elected Hamas-run councils set about providing basic services to their constituencies.

Specifically, the Post has learned of negotiations between the Civil Administration and a Hamas-affiliated council member at Silat al-Dhaher, near Nablus, that led to the IDF lifting a closure order it had imposed on the village after several rock-throwing incidents. In another instance of interaction, the newly-elected mayor of Jayyus, in the Kalkilya area, negotiated with a local IDF officer for improved procedures at an access gate in the security fence.

... an Israeli military source told the Post that Israel was increasingly reconciled to such interaction: "[The contacts] are both good for us and good for them," he said. Hamas's West Bank leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef hesitantly agreed. "Nothing will stop us from carrying out our civilian projects," he said... even if we have to deal with the occupier [Israel]," he said in an interview from his Ramallah home Wednesday.

This attitude contrasts sharply with the position taken by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman Asi Shariv, who told the Post that "the prime minister's position is that there should be no relations with Hamas whatsoever. Hamas is Israel's enemy" he said flatly, adding that "if any contacts are happening now, they should be stopped."

For elected Hamas officials, the practicalities of local government have spurred a professed pragmatism in dealings with the Jewish state.Kalkilya council member Sabri, who said he had not yet had any contact with the Civil Administration, said he wanted to open a new page in attitudes towards Israel, and added that he had even purchased a Hebrew primer. Although he worked in Israel in 1991-92, he said his Hebrew was now "rusty."

"I am not ashamed to say that I am religious," protests Sabri, "but we are not Hamas. We do not support military operations inside Israel [terrorist attacks]."

"The people elected us because they want better streets, water, electricity, work, schools and hospitals," said Sabri. "We cannot tell them, 'We want to destroy Israel.' They are not interested in this. My job is to give him [the voter] those things that he needs." And for that, Sabri added, "we know we need to talk to the Israelis. We are open to that."

Hamas swept the 15-seat Kalkilya council...(which) is the largest West Bank city to participate in the last two rounds of municipal elections. In the May 5 round, Hamas won about a third of the 84 contested municipalities – all of which had been previously run by officials from Fatah, the largest Palestinian faction. But election observers said last week that Hamas's dominance of the larger Palestinian towns indicated that it may have garnered more overall votes than Fatah.