UAE Columnist: Hamas's Claim to Palestine Must Be Questioned

In October 2008, Moussa Abu Marzouq, deputy head of the Damascus-based political wing of Hamas, gave an interview to the Qatari daily Al-Raya in which he expressed surprise at the UAE's demand for sovereignty over the three islands Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa, which have been in Iranian possession since the Shah's era. Abu Marzouq's statements sparked anger against Hamas; in one reaction, a columnist for the UAE daily, Al-IttihadMuhammad Khalfan Al-Sawafi, extrapolated from Abu Marzouq's statements that Hamas's claim to Palestinian territory could likewise be questioned, and that the agendas of Hamas and Iran were political rather than religious.

Following are excerpts from Al-Sawafi's article:

Hamas Is Selling Arab Territories out of Greed

"…Mussa Abu Marzouq, deputy of the political wing of Hamas… expressed surprise that the UAE had set a deadline for restoring [to its sovereignty] the three islands that are currently under [Iranian] occupation, [i.e.] Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa. [Marzouq's statement] raises questions regarding [Hamas's] demands to regain control over the occupied Palestinian territories. In addition, these statements can be [construed as] undeniable proof that the religious groups' and movements' loyalty to an external [element] is greater than their loyalty to their respective homelands. Read more ...

Source: MEMRI