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24 January 2006

Christian is parliamentary candidate for Islamic group Hamas

Michele Green
Jerusalem (ENI). Hosam al-Taweel seems an unlikely candidate to run in the Palestinian parliamentary elections on behalf of the militant Islamic group Hamas. Al-Taweel, 40, is a Greek-Orthodox Christian living in the Gaza Strip who has volunteered at the local YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) for more than three decades.

But he decided to join Hamas - a group that seeks to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state based on strict Sharia law - because he believes a Hamas government is in the best interests of the Palestinian people.

"We are all - Christians and Muslims - united for a free Palestine. Our ancestors fought with the Muslim leader, Salah al-Din, against the crusaders," he told the Arabic-language al-Jazeera satellite television channel during an interview. "We also share a common suffering under Israeli occupation and each of us has reciprocal respect towards our religious beliefs."

Hamas is expected to strongly challenge President Mahmoud Abbas' mainstream Fatah movement in the 25 January parliamentary elections. Hamas' Change and Reform party stands for ending rampant corruption in the Palestinian Authority.

But the prospect it could win the election or do well enough to influence the Palestinian Authority has some Western countries worried as Hamas is regarded as a terrorist group that has spearheaded a wave of suicide bombings against Israel.

This does not concern al-Taweel, who has said he opposes the 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel and calls for Palestinians to continue to resist Israeli occupation.

"My programme isn't specifically for Christians only, but designed for all Palestinians," he said. "We are fighting for the right of return of displaced Palestinian refugees and fighting corruption in Palestinian governance."

There are about 10 000 Palestinian-Christians living in the Gaza Strip and as in the West Bank their numbers have dwindled over the past century. Christianity in Gaza dates to shortly after the death of Jesus. The first Christian martyr in Gaza was Bishop Sylvanus, who was killed in AD 284.

Cooperation between Christians and Hamas is not new. In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the Christian mayor took power due to a coalition he formed with the Hamas dominated city council.

© 1994 - 2006 Ecumenical News International.

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