This Letter to the Editor was written in response to the Los Angeles Times Editorial   "Hamas's Stand," by Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy of the political bureau of Hamas on July 10, 2007 .

Due to the overwhelming response to this Op-Ed (click here to see the letters), the Times did not publish the letter but we wanted to share AJC's response with you.

Dear Los Angeles Times Editor:

Re: Op-Ed "Hamas's Stand" by Mousa Abu Marzook; July 10, 2007

Well-written, but misleading opinion articles do not make Hamas a credible partner for peace. Hamas is considered an illegitimate interlocutor by the international community, because Hamas refuses to renounce terrorism, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and abide by previous agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority.
 
Mousa Abu Marzook's appeal to the imperfect history of this country cannot excuse the fact that Hamas's raison d'etre, as formulated in the Hamas charter, calls for the liberation of all of "occupied" Palestine, not just the West Bank or Gaza.
 
For Mr. Marzook to question Israel's peace credentials on the heels of the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, and after the last three Israeli prime ministers have endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, is specious. Israel is ready and willing to negotiate a two-state solution with a committed Palestinian partner--not one that wishes the Jewish state's destruction.

Peter M. Weil
Chairman
American Jewish Committee Los Angeles