“[We will deal with Jews] in accordance with our ethics, religious teachings, and historical values,” Abu Marzook, the deputy head of Hamas political bureau, told IslamOnline.net, in answer to a question put forward by an Israeli Jew who wanted to know the kind of state Hamas would establish if it ever rises to power in Palestine and whether it would expel Jews if Israel was dismantled, during the portal’s online exclusive interview with the Hamas leader. He highlighted how Jews lived peacefully for centuries in Muslim and Arab countries. “Jews lived freely and ran prosperous businesses in Egypt and Baghdad, and the markets of Baghdad are evidences of what the Jews owned.”
US-educated Abu Marzook, who has played an active role in Hamas since the late 1980s, explained that Muslims have no problem in dealing with people of other faiths, referring to Islam’s tolerance as an integral part of Muslims’ creed. “We do not have a problem when it comes to dealing with the other. We understand and recognise other people’s rights, which are part of our belief system and ethics.” Abu Marzook stressed that this by no means suggest Hamas is ready to relinquish Palestinian rights. “However, what we cannot accept is giving up our rights.”
Abu Marzook, who became the first Hamas political bureau chief in 1992, said politics and resistance have been gradually espoused in the past few years. “Resistance itself is part of politics, and we cannot separate the two. Resistance is the climax of politics; yet, resistance is a kind of politics that uses the language of bullets.”