“We are back on the political agenda”

Der Spiegel: Since October 7th, Hamas, the “Islamic Defense Movement,” has been an epitome of terror for one part of the world, others applaud the organization for inflicting such shame on Israel, which was believed to be invincible. The world has changed since hundreds of Hamas fighters murdered villages, kibbutzim and a music festival in southern Israel – 1,400 people died. Questions arose, because Hamas is not an isolated group of madmen.

The interview with Walid Kilani, a spokesperson for Hamas in Lebanon, attempts to shed light on the group’s rationale. Kilani explains that years of unsuccessful negotiations with Israel left them feeling they had nothing left to lose. The attack was planned to shift the power balance and to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. “For 30 years, PLO leader Yasser Arafat and his successors have negotiated with Israel to establish an independent state of Palestine, since the Oslo Accords. However, we have not come any closer to this goal, but rather have moved further and further away from it. In Gaza we live locked behind walls, and Israel is constantly building new settlements in the West Bank. … We were afraid of slowly losing everything. When Netanyahu publicly presented a map of the “New Middle East” a few months ago, there was no longer any room for a Palestinian state. As if the future happened without us. That won’t happen anymore. We are back on the political agenda. …”

While Hamas claims the attack has put them back on the political agenda, the international response has been largely negative, with western countries generally condemning Hamas and standing by Israel. It leaves an impression that even Hamas might not fully understand the ramifications of their actions.

The entire article can be read at the link https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/hamas-sprecher-im-libanon-ueber-den-7-oktober-wir-sind-zurueck-auf-der-politischen-tagesordnung-a-8724e3da-7afe-4291-82a2-1c2ffa8886e7