A more moderate Hamas?

As I mentioned earlier this week, NPR's Linda Gradstein let me tag along with her on a reporting trip on Monday into Ramallah, where we met with Palestinian legislator Abed Al Jabir Mustafa Fukaha, a member of Hamas. It was a little disconcerting to listen to the 40-year-old father of three. I was thinking, "This is a ...

As I mentioned earlier this week, NPR's Linda Gradstein let me tag along with her on a reporting trip on Monday into Ramallah, where we met with Palestinian legislator Abed Al Jabir Mustafa Fukaha, a member of Hamas. It was a little disconcerting to listen to the 40-year-old father of three. I was thinking, "This is a man that millions of people consider to be a terrorist," yet he was soft-spoken, intelligent, and reasonable. Fukaha lives in the West Bank, where Hamas members tend to be more moderate -- and also less powerful -- than their brethren in Gaza. 

As I mentioned earlier this week, NPR's Linda Gradstein let me tag along with her on a reporting trip on Monday into Ramallah, where we met with Palestinian legislator Abed Al Jabir Mustafa Fukaha, a member of Hamas. It was a little disconcerting to listen to the 40-year-old father of three. I was thinking, "This is a man that millions of people consider to be a terrorist," yet he was soft-spoken, intelligent, and reasonable. Fukaha lives in the West Bank, where Hamas members tend to be more moderate — and also less powerful — than their brethren in Gaza. 

He described how the Palestinians are in a crisis situation. With the U.S. and EU putting the brakes on the inflow of cash, and with the pledged donations from Russia and Qatar having no way of getting distributed to the people, Palestinian civil servants are now into their second month without salaries. Unemployment is over 70%, and schools are starting to empty because teachers aren't getting paid, and children can no longer afford the bus fare to get there. Fukaha says his government's first priority is getting salaries paid, then after that, tackling reform. He says the world needs to give Hamas a chance to show that it can govern.  I have to run, but I'll get into more of what he said in a post later today.

Christine Y. Chen is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.