Transcript of Jan. 16th interview with Khaled Meshaal
I have now uploaded the full transcript of the one-hour interview I conducted with the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, in Damascus last month.
I shan't add any additional commentary here. I have already provided some commentary and context to the interview in various posts here on JWN, and in this recent CSM column. And now, I'm going to be writing a much more comprehensive essay about Hamas's still-evolving role for Boston Review, where it will run in the May issue.
I'll just note-- though of course our readers here are all so smart that you'll have figured this out already-- that the interview was conducted exactly one week before the bustout from Gaza.
Meanwhile, there is no word from either Gaza or Egypt on the results of the most recent negotiations in El-Arish over an arrangement for the Gaza-Egypt border.
Is there a reason you didn't ask him whether, in the context of a ceasefire, he could control Islamic Jihad and other fringe groups that are launching most of the rockets into Israel?
Looking forward to reading the interview, Helena - should be very, very interesting.
By the way, I will be spending most of the month of April in Syria, and am really looking forward to it. I am hoping to make contact with some people whom I can talk to regarding Iraqi refugees and/or internally displaced Iraqis. If you have any leads in that regard, I would appreciate if you would e-mail me.
"I don't want to just end the war, but I want to end the mindset that got us into war in the first place."
~ Sen. Barack Obama, January 31, 2008
I used to read & enjoy this site, but now it wants to be a shill for Senator Obama.
It's your site.
Meshal didn't say much about a South Africa-style single state except "anyway Israel won't accept it" I wish that line of questioning had been pursued more.