Channel 14’s Arab affairs analyst, Middle East expert Dr. Edy Cohen, is warning that Hamas has no intention of disarming following statements by the group’s Lebanon spokesman Osama Hamdan. According to Cohen, even proposals to store weapons don’t change the picture: “Hamas is strengthening and exploiting our naivety—we’re wasting our time.”
Cohen warns of Hamas’s malicious plan: “Their spokesman in Lebanon says explicitly that Hamas will not hand over its weapons, and we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Hamas is exploiting our naivety and meanwhile continues to strengthen. We must understand that we have no one to talk to there.”
1+Cohen’s warning is based in part on statements by Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Osama Hamdan, who declared explicitly that “regarding the issue of handing over weapons—no one said we would hand over weapons, and the word ‘handing over’ was never mentioned at all.”
Hamdan further clarified that Hamas doesn’t see itself as obligated to take any steps as long as Israel doesn’t publicly announce agreement and begin, in his words, practical steps including ceasing combat and withdrawal: “This position of the resistance is clear, and in no way does it mean handing over weapons.”
1+Cohen emphasized that even the option of storing weapons doesn’t indicate genuine willingness by Hamas to disarm, adding: “In other words, Hamas is strengthening and exploiting our naivety. We’re wasting our time. There really is no one to talk to.”
We make a great effort to locate copyright holders in photographs. Use of works whose copyright holder is unknown or not located is done according to Section 27a of the Copyright Law. If you have identified a photograph and you are the copyright holder, please contact [email protected]