Established Diplomatic Convention by recognising jerusalem as israels capital. His recent tweets on the Israeli Palestinian conflict have been music to the ears of israeli Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu. So what do the palestinians do now . My guest today is mahmoud zahar, co founder of the Islamist Movement hamas, which controls gaza and has been at loggerheads with the Palestinian Authority in the west bank for more than a decade. Are the palestinians staring defeat in the face . Mahmoud zahar in gaza, welcome to hardtalk. Most welcome. I have to begin by asking you about your frame of mind, your spirit at the beginning of this new year, 2018. I look at the diplomatic, the political and the Economic Situation in gaza and i can barely imagine anything more bleak. Is that the way you feel too . First of all, id like to address that this is one of the most important points in our history. Yes, our life is very miserable, not because of bad management from our side but because of the crime committed by the Israeli Occupation and by the cooperation of the Palestinian Authority with them, and lastly by the impact of the International Community represented mainly by mr trump against our human rights in the most important shrine in islam, al aqsa mosque. So, the siege for a long time destroyed our medical, our social, economical, life and nobody is interested in this area. Add to that a miserable life in the west bank in addition to the very distressed life in the refugee camps outside palestine, whetherjordan, especially in lebanon and syria. For this reason, i think it is a big crime against the palestinian human rights. Well, you have packed in a lot of different complaints into that first answer. I want to unpick it if i make because i want to take a lot of it very seriously. Lets start with what he characterised as the maligned International Diplomatic intervention. You named donald trump. Donald trump of course has now said quite clearly that america recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. This was the response of your leader, hamas leader ismail haniyeh, who said trumps decision is, no less dangerous than the balfour declaration. We will not allow it to pass. We will not allow trumps declaration to pass even if we lose our heads in the process. That kind of rhetoric is fine but what are Palestinian People supposed to make of it . Because frankly, you look completely helpless in the face of mr trumps decision . I think i disagree with you. We are living under occupation for many years, since 1948, by what is now called israel. And after that, in 1967. But lastly by our method of self resistance, self defence against the occupation in gaza, we succeeded to eliminate the occupation in gaza. But because of the cooperation between the Palestinian Authority which is a big crime actually, with the Israeli Security sections, they succeed to prevent the intifada in the west bank and jerusalem. But i would remind you about what happened when the israelis decided to make what is called the electronic channels. The disarmed people demonstrated and they succeeded to protect the al aqsa mosque. Mr zahar, if i may interrupt you, you say that you will respond and youve responded in the past, the truth is, since that decision taken by trump in december on jerusalem, we have seen a dozen or so rockets fired from gaza towards israel. The israelis have responded by targeting weapons dumps. The truth is, everything that you talk about in terms of violent military resistance plays into israels hands . It allows them to characterise route yet again as terrorists, out to kill israeli citizens. Characterise you. What is the use of that in the current climate . First of all, these are settlers. These people left their homeland, from america, from russia, and came. For this reason, we are against foreign people taking our land, violated our rights. And im not speaking here about the rockets. Im speaking about the people in the west bank having their right to defend themselves by all means. We started by throwing stones, using knives and lastly at the time used guns against the israelis. We have to defend ourselves by all means in the west bank, in order to avoid the expansion of the settlement not only onjerusalem but on the rest of the west bank. But with the language you are using, mr zahar, you are simply making things worse. Donald trump in recent days, having taken the decision onjerusalem, has been tweeting about you and the Palestinian Movement generally. He says, with the palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make hundreds of millions of dollars a year of payments to them and get no appreciation of respect . So the stance that you are taking is going to cost you, and more particularly the Palestinian People, very dear. If the us cuts off the funding it gives to the un relief and works agency which looks after you Palestinian Refugees in the camps, the situation in gaza is going to go from dire to absolutely intolerable . This language, we are not understanding well. Why . Because our land, our homeland, our holy places have no price. It is our religion, it is ourfaith and it is our spirits, it is our future. So this language can be addressed. We actually advise them, dont play with america and what is called the International Community by this language, because they are going to make pressure and at that time, youre going to yield, you are going to do denounce your rights in your homeland. Thats all very well, mr zahar, but what do you say to the palestinians who rely on money coming from the us to keep them alive . That is those who take funding, food and Material Support from unrra, an agency which is mostly funded by american money, at least the biggest funder is america. This language should be differentiated between the unrra which is treating the crimes committed against our people in 1948. And speaking about the Palestinian Authority since the agreement. When they believed that, with cooperation including the security co operation with the enemy of the Palestinian People, they believe that they are going to achieve a west bank, gaza government and their homeland all what is called a state. We advised them at that time, and we told them it will be a big zero. Now we are not getting benefits or even we are getting benefits from the money, but we cant actually denounce our rights in the holy place, the most important shrine in islam which is the al aqsa mosque because of the american money, because of the donation. If i may say so, youve spent most of this interview so far criticising the Palestinian Authority for its relationship with the United States over many years. But im a little confused. You in hamas, as of october 2017, just a few months ago, are committed to a reconciliation agreement with fatah which is supposed to lead to reunification of the administration in gaza and supposed to see fatah and pa, Palestinian Authority forces take Security Control in gaza. Are you suggesting to me that that deal is now completely off . First of all, id like to address that its not a reconciliation. This is a misleading name, actually. We in cairo in 2011, agreed to have a deal, an agreement in cairo. This agreement includes the most important point, to run elections for the minister level, for the Legislative Council level and for the National Council level. And we are sure that we are going to win this election. At that time, we are going to change the attitude of this authority. From cooperating with israel to the degree as we did with israelis in 2005. We dont have time for long history lessons but the bottom line is, just a few months ago, you are prepared to talk about a deal with fatah and fatah insisted part of that deal was that you would accept Palestinian AuthoritySecurity Control in gaza and hamas would ultimately have to give up its weapons. Are you prepared, in hamas, as part of a national deal, to give up your weapons . Again, its not a national deal, its between fatah and other palestinian factions. But the Palestinian People in the refugee camps, and more 6 Million People outside, has not shared it. Im speaking about what is the substantial goal of this deal you describe in the last few months. Its not a reconciliation. It was implementation of the agreement in cairo 2011, this is the most important, the substantial elements in this agreement is to run elections. Not to be controlled by fatah or to accept the attitude or Political Attitudes of fatah concerning the israeli issues or the other. So our agreement is to implement what had been agreed in cairo. The bottom line is you are not prepared, are you, to give up your weapons based control of the gaza strip and your continued determination to fire rockets into israel, to dig tunnels under your territory into israeli territory in order to conduct terrorist operations inside israel, youre not prepared to give up any of that and as a result, fatah and the pa continue to put sanctions on the gaza strip including blocking the payment of power supplies. Your policy is damaging your own people . Im sorry to hear that from your side. This is the language of israel. We are not terrorists and we are not launching rockets against israel randomly. We are defending ourselves against the fifth, the phantom 35, the most sophisticated weapons belonging to the israelis destroyed our infrastructure, destroyed our people. Personally, i was a target many times by israel. They killed two sons of mine. One of them was getting a masters degree from salford university, manchester. So you are not speaking about the crimes of israel against our people about the sanctions, about destroying our infrastructure basis and you are resisting to describe. Hang on. Let me continue my answer. You are speaking as though we are launching rockets against israel as terrorists. We are not terrorists, we are Freedom Fighters. We are occupied by foreigners, dismissed all through your history. You as european people, and the americans, particularly european people, are responsible about the disaster of jews, 100 times when you destroyed the existence of the jews in your countries and dismissed these people to our people as a part of the occupation. Hang on, mr zahar, i want to ask you a serious question. I know your personal history, i first met you on a south lebanese hillside when youve been deported by the israelis back in the early 1990s. I know your own story including that of your family. But i put this to you. When you tell me that you are conducting this struggle, i say to you, the un envoy to your conflict with israel, a un envoy called nikolay mladenov, he said recently, that the palestinians need to focus on addressing the humanitarian needs of their people in gaza, not on building tunnels and spending money on rockets which they intend to fire into israel. Why do you not put the humanitarian needs of your own people first . Do you believe that your capital can be occupied by foreigners and the price will be humanitarian aid . Humanitarian aid is our right, whether we are in fighting as Freedom Fighters or living in prison. We are here speaking about national interest. 0ur interest is our land. 0ur land was occupied in 19118. 0ur interests is our holy place. Al aqsa mosque, which is the most important shrine in islam, not only for hamas but for every muslim, even the british muslim. So we are speaking about the national interest, not as a beggar looking for money from their area from mladenov or the other one. We are an occupied area, we have to achieve sovereignty. I am asking a simple question, what moral principle justifies netanyahu to come from america while his father is still there, and to occupy our land . Whatjustifies lieberman. I guess what im asking. To be in our land . I guess what im asking is for you to reflect on todays reality. To be honest, a lot of the message youre giving me, ive heard many times over many years from you and fellow leaders of hamas. Im just wondering whether you are prepared to accept that the Current Situation might need some fresh thinking on your part . Because if you look at what is happening, if you look at the way in which donald trump has broken with Diplomatic Convention and change this situation, the dynamic in the middle east conflict. And if you also look at whats happening in israel today with netanyahu appearing to see a green light for new measures, for example the likud party approving the policy of annexing jewish settlements in the west bank. A newjerusalem bill which basically makes it almost impossible to imagine the knesset ever ceding territory to the palestinians in jerusalem as part of a peace process. If you take all of these things together, it seems to me you are in a more negative, difficult diplomatic place then youve ever been in before . And i wonder whether you now have to develop a new strategy . 0k, 0k. We are not believing in these diplomatic changes. We are not depending on diplomacy of the enemy of the Palestinian People. You are speaking all the time about what was the attitude of the International Community . What was the result of the voting order in the Security Council or in the General Assembly . What happened . Neta nyahu is supported by the american president , but the majority of the world are against them. This cannot be an argument to convince us to denounce our rights. This argument should be for the Palestinian Authority when they believe in what is called the peace process. We practiced, as a Palestinian People, all the peaceful methods in order to achieve our right as a homeland and now, we see no square metre for the palestinians except gaza, liberated by armed resistance. If i may, mr zahar. Im sorry, i should continue. We are insisting to defend ourselves by all means, including the armed resistance and the people are believing what you are addressing as the International Community, money and the aggression of the settlers and netanyahu policies and trump policies, this will not actually change. People are admiring to sacrifice in order to achieve the homeland. If i may say something, today, in this interview, you have sounded very combative. You have sounded like hamas has sounded for many years. But i would just say to you, in may of 2017, your movement came out with a new policy document for the first time, you, in hamas, said you would accept a solution which gave the palestinians a state on the 1967 lines. And it looked as though, with a new leader, mr haniyeh in place, it looked as though hamas was beginning to search for a way to play a role in the peace process. To become, if i may say so, more moderate. Have you walked away from that now . Are you not interested in being more moderate any more . Im sorry to understand from you, because we are speaking about establishment of an independent state in the area of the occupied 1967. But this is the continuation of argument. But we are not going to denounce a square metre of our land which is palestine. So you still want to destroy israel, is that it . You still want to destroy the state of israel . It is not a matter of destroying israel, it is a matter of liberation of our land, occupied by foreigners. If you think all of that land from the mediterranean to thejordan river is yours, then that is the destruction of the state of israel. This is palestine, occupied 19118. It was occupied in 19118 by the support and blood by the british occupation. For this reason, we are going to achieve our rights in the whole of palestine. Mr zahar i want to end just reflecting a little bit on the case of ahed tamimi, the 16 year old palestinian girl from the west bank village who was videotaped confronting an israeli soldier, slapping him and kicking him because she believed he had been responsible for violence against fellow villagers including members of their family. The video has gone viral, palestinians now seem to regard her as a hero of sorts. And this is what diana buttu, my former Palestinian Authority adviser said. She said, perhaps the reason that israel sees the tamimis as a threat, and the 16 year old is in detention, is because she and the family represents what the current palestinian leadership is not. That is defiant, active and unwilling to remain silent. Is the resistance in palestine now in the hands of ordinary people, young people particularly, not with veteran leaders like you . First of all, the tamimi family are not members of hamas. But this is the attitude of every muslim everywhere. Whether they are in palestine, occupied 19118, or occupied 1967. The tamimifamily are resisting themselves, they are resisting their right in palestine, in holy places. This is a very symbolic manner. We are almost out of time but the key is whether you regard that resistance is having to be violent or whether it can simply be civil disobedience. Which is it . We practice all methods. Since the occupation, we practice civil defence. Self defence. In the first intifada, we first thought wed distributed leaflets and the result was more Israeli Aggression from the occupation, to the degree of arresting thousands and thousands