Hamas Seeks to Escape Western Terrorism Lists

Recent reports that Hamas plans to offer a less intimidating face to the world apparently presaged an aggressive drive to expunge its name from Western nations’ terrorist lists. It was recently reported that Hamas references to “Jews” would change to “occupiers” in the 1988 charter that vows to confront “the usurpation of Palestine by Jews through jihad.” The Associated Press is reporting that it has pieced together the new Hamas approach through interviews with its leaders. It reports that the new Hamas message will omit references to its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and does not offer explicit recognition of the state of Israel, although an official is quoted as saying it would if it results in international recognition of Hamas. The AP quoted one official as explaining that the new program is “the culmination of political experiments the movement has experienced through its history.”