Palestine Centre of Excellence

PACE Malaysia applauds the call by British MP's for an international engagement with HAMAS. Twenty Parliamentarians from across the political divide signed the House of Commons motion tabled by Richard Burden from the Labour Party. The commendable act came in the wake of the HAMAS pivotal role in securing the release of the BBC journalist Alan Johnston from an armed group in Gaza, where he was held hostage for 114 days. This implies that the US led quartet which include the EU

should not preclude contact with HAMAS in seeking to address the Palestinian issue. The fact that Hamas succeeded in negotiating the release of Alan Johnston, an act that was only possible once Hamas took complete control of the security situation in Gaza shows that it is the legitimate party to engage in Palestine.

The call by the British MP's should be a reasonable foundation for the British government to start engaging Hamas in formal talks and negotiations. Afterall Hamas was and is still the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people as they were voted in to form the government in the last legislative election. EU should also review their policies and rethink their treatment of Hamas in ways that may not conformed to or dictated by the US led quartet.

PACE Malaysia urge the international community to give Hamas the chance to explain their political position and programme towards seeking a permanent status agreement that would pave the way for a meaningful and just settlements for the Palestinian issue. The motion by the British MP's is precisely the move in the right direction.

Dr Hafidzi Mohd Noor
Director,
Palestine Centre of Excellence (PACE)
Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA