Peace 'possible with Hamas'
2006-02-08 08:13
West Bank - Menahem Froman is one of the few Israelis to have dared sit down with arch-enemy Hamas.
But he's not just any Israeli. He is a Jewish settler and a rabbi who lives in the West Bank.
Last month, fear struck deep in the heart of Israel when the radical Islamist movement won a landslide victory in the Palestinian elections.
Faced with the likelihood of a Hamas-led government, Israel has vowed not to have any contact with the group, which makes no secret of its desire to destroy the Jewish State.
But Froman, chief rabbi of the Tekoa settlement near Bethlehem, believes otherwise.
Convinced peace is possible
He is convinced that a peace agreement can be reached with the radical group through mutual religious understanding.
"I wasn't surprised at all," over Hamas's rise to power," he said.
Although he admits to "serious concerns," there is a "positive side" to Hamas's rise to power.
"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an expression of the conflict between Western and Islamic civilisations. It is not just a problem for the two tiny nations living here but for the entire world.
"Our role in the world is to bridge that gap.
"There is a possibility we could make peace ... But you cannot make peace here without taking religious issues into consideration. Many people have tried, but it always falls apart."
Froman is something of a lone voice in the wilderness.
Over the past 30 years, he has met an array of controversial Palestinian figures, including the late Yasser Arafat and Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in March 2004.
A survey published on Tuesday showed most Israelis believe Hamas's electoral victory constitutes an existential threat to the Jewish state, and 83% saying they see little to no chance of any peace agreement with a Hamas-led government.
Hamas is "not a movement which seeks after peace. They have murdered a lot of people," Froman says soberly.
And he should know. His uncle was shot dead in the 1930s by Ezzedine al-Qassam, a militant Palestinian cleric who fought the British during the Mandate years and whose name was later adopted by Hamas's armed wing.
Since Hamas's victory two weeks ago, Froman has been in indirect contact with the group, trying to set up further talks.
"Zahar asked me: 'How do you cope with having a secular government? Why don't you fight it?' So I told him: 'Until you learn how to relate to secular people and Western culture, you will never accept Israel."
Froman, who would happily continue living in Tekoa even when it becomes part of a Palestinian state, says Israel must also examine its society in order to reach peace.
"Israeli society first has to learn how to deal with its own religious elements," he said. "Only then can it learn how to deal with Hamas."