Islamic Jihad Expresses Concern Over Hamas's New Charter Approach

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement has rejected Hamas's new positions regarding the acceptance of the formation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, which implies recognition of Israel's existence, stating that it harms Palestinian efforts. In statements published on the group's website, Ziad al-Nakhala, the deputy of the Islamic Jihad movement, expressed that they feel 'concerned' as 'partners with the Hamas brothers in the battle for freedom' regarding the document announced by Hamas last Monday. Al-Nakhala added, 'We oppose Hamas's acceptance of the formation of a state within the 1967 borders and believe that such a concession harms our efforts.' This Islamic Jihad official reminded that Hamas's new positions 'only include half of the solution and lead to a deadlock.' Last Monday, Hamas published a document distancing itself from its long-standing demand for the destruction of Israel, supporting the idea of establishing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. Although in this charter, Hamas still reserves the 'right to armed struggle against Israel,' accepting the idea of forming a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders effectively means recognizing Israel's existence outside these borders. Thus, Hamas's positions have somewhat aligned with those of the Fatah movement, although, unlike Fatah, Hamas has not officially recognized Israel. The Islamic Jihad group, which is currently protesting Hamas's change of position, is one of the Palestinian extremist groups inspired by the 1979 Iranian Revolution and has received support from the Islamic Republic since then. This Palestinian group, which focuses solely on armed actions, is the second major force in the Gaza Strip after Hamas. For two decades, Khaled Mashal was the head of Hamas's political bureau, but after the announcement of Hamas's new positions, he stepped down, and Ismail Haniyeh succeeded him. Haniyeh, who led Hamas in Gaza, recently handed over this position to Yahya Sinwar. Like Islamic Jihad, Hamas has always had close relations with the Islamic Republic and has benefited from Iranian support and assistance, but after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Hamas, which refrained from intervening in favor of Bashar al-Assad's government, has had a cold relationship with Iran.