Hamas and the Right of Return of the Palestinian Refugees: A Stand Still in the Peace Process
K.M.Sajad Ibrahim
The misery of the Palestinian refugees continues unabated even after the formation of the Hamas government in the Palestinian Occupied Territories (POT). Most of the refugees trust the Hamas than any other group of Palestinians to restore their right of return to their homeland. It is estimated that more than five million Palestinians are refugees in neighbouring Arab countries since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. The Hamas, branded as terrorist group by the US and West, emerged as the most popular Palestinian organization in their struggle for the Palestinian statehood. It has proved as the most successful Palestinian organization within a period of 20 yearssince its inception. Hence, the Palestinian refugees, the case of worst denial of human rights in the contemporary world, are jubilant in electing Hamas as their legitimate representative replacing Al-Fatah, a group founded by the late leader Yasser Arafat, for the first time. Israel and their partners in the West are very well aware position of Hamas as a tough partner in peace negotiations. The most important stand of Hamas is to adopt the right of return of all Palestinian refugees to their native land. They believed that no final settlement in the Palestine question is possible without addressing the just rights of the Palestinian refugees.
For the full article see India Quarterly(New Delhi), vol.LXII, no.2, April-June 2006, pp.132-150.
