OxBlog

Friday, January 20, 2006

# Posted 12:59 AM by Patrick Belton  

OXBLOG TALKS TO HAMAS: In my last post, I wondered how to crack covering Hamas; I shouldn't have worried. A few hours later, after interviewing the director of the election commission in his Ramallah office, I found myself standing outside the Hamas headquarters for the West Bank. Being in general one to press my luck, I walked inside, past several youths who regarded me warily, and up to the top floor where I enquired after the chap who ran the place. He sat down with me, gave me Arabic coffee, and spoke to me for roughly a half hour about his organisation's posture in the elections and the drafting of its platform. He then offered to let me accompany his wife to a Hamas rally at an adjoining town, in support of women candidates on the Hamas list, so I did. Returning to East Jerusalem, I then talked and drank with Fateh people until 1 am at the Palestinian and international civil society watering hole, the Border Line cafe.

I'll type up these interviews, and impressions of Hamas and Fateh from close remove, as soon as I can spend a bit more time at my keyboard. But at the moment, I'm running off to Hebron to talk to Palestinians and settlers. I feel like singing: Hebron...I'm in Hebron....
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