Hamas: Well done, Ms Rice

US Secretary of State Rice explained to newspaper people in New York that there is Hamas in the territories, and there is a branch in Damascus, and she went on to explain that the US strategy is to drive a wedge between them on the issue of recognition of Israel, based on the idea that the Hamas people in the territories will be getting hungry, whereas the branch in Damascus is still eating well. Palestine Information Center has the first report of the Hamas reaction to these statements, and the gist of it is: Thank you, Ms Rice, for spelling out one of the important hidden motives behind your activities. Israel having so far failed to starve the Palestinians into submission, you have explained to us that yours is the diplomatic extension of that approach. Borrowing from the language of Nasrullah on Friday, the Hamas source said: A bet on the split-up of Hamas is going to be a losing bet. Here's my rendition of the full PIC item:

Hamas criticized the statements of Rice, in which she spoke about the US wager on the occurence of an internal split within Hamas, and said this is bound to be a losing bet.

In her statements, Rice said such internal splits in Hamas would serve to promote what she calls 'the peace process'. An authoritative source in Hamas said: 'We in Hamas denounce these statements by the American minister, which in fact serve to expose an aspect of the motives of her administration, and of the Zionist entity behind it, [motives] vis-a-vis Hamas and the people of Palestine, namely that this [US] administration has come to bet on a split within out unified ranks, after the Occupation has failed to subdue us or to break out will.'

The source added: It is quite possible that these statements [of Rice] give us the explanation what compelled president Abbas, after his return from NY and his meeting there with Rice, to say that the discussions [with Haniyeh] were "back to zero" and that he was waiting for recognition of Israel as a condition for forming a government of national unity.

And the source said the bet on the occurence of a split in Hamas is a losing bet; and the efforts of the US administration along with some of the local and regional governments, would prove to be wasted effort.

(The statements of Rice are summarized here).