Hamas Has No Faith Biden Will Bring Peace to Middle East, Official Says

The US President is expected in the Middle East later this month. During his visit he will try to arrange a deal between Israel and the Saudis. The latter have already said a normalisation pact with the Jewish state is impossible without concessions to the Palestinians but a Hamas official says it will not accept any proffered olive branch.

Preparations are underway In Israel to receive US President Joe Biden, who is expected to visit the country on 13 July.

According to reports, the American president will stay in Israel for a day and then head to Bethlehem, where he will meet the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. A trip to the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Islamic group Hamas, is not on the agenda.

Biden’s decision not to visit the enclave came as no surprise to Hamas, according to a senior member of the organization, who was interviewed on condition of anonymity.

"The US have always accused Hamas of terrorism so we were not surprised by their actions," he explains. "In addition, we are not very interested to meet Biden or any other American leader because they have always aligned themselves with the occupying force, not the Palestinian cause," he added.

Deal with the Palestinians?

Before he was elected, Biden had promised to help the Palestinians. He spoke about his commitment to the two-state solution that stipulates the creation of the independent Palestine. He vowed to resume the supply of funds to the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, and he promised to reopen the American Consulate in East Jerusalem.

In addition, the Biden Administration has been trying to orchestrate a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia - which he is expected to visit shortly after the Palestinian Authority.

The Saudis have repeatedly said that no normalisation deal with Israel is possible unless officials in Jerusalem make swingeing concessions to the Palestinians. And Biden’s forthcoming trip might deal with exactly that.

Political concessions seem to be out of the question, especially now that Israel is preparing for elections, due to take place on 1 November. But economic benefits and incentives might contribute to a breakthrough.

Under former prime minister Naftali Bennett, life became easier for those on the Gaza Strip. It expanded the fishing zone which enabled local fishermen to catch larger hauls. Israel also issued work permits to thousands of Gazans and allowed some construction materials to enter the enclave.

Now that liberal leader Yair Lapid is Israel’s prime minister there might be even more concessions to the Palestinians, including those in Gaza.

But the Hamas official says: "There are no concessions that Israel can give that would satisfy the Palestinians.

"The only thing that can satisfy us is the liberation of our lands and the establishment of our state," he argued.

"As for economic concessions, Israel makes those because they fear the Gaza Strip will rise up after the poverty and unemployment they are solely responsible for become unendurable," he added.

Israel imposed a tight blockade over the Strip in 2007, after Hamas - deemed terrorist by the Jewish state - took control of the enclave, ousting the officials of Abbas' Fatah.

Since then, the Palestinian militants have fought four major wars with Israel. A truce has been reached although a diplomatic solution still proves elusive. The Hamas official says Biden’s administration will find it equally unobtainable.

"America may succeed in concluding a deal between the Saudis and the Israelis, but it will not succeed in concluding a deal between us and Israel without the approval of Hamas," he warned.

"There will be no deal between the PA and Israel, simply because we will not allow it. Hamas has its say," he concluded.