Tempted By Your Offer To Lead Labour, Mr. Corbyn, But Hamas Needs Me

By Ismail Haniyeh

Dear Mr. Corbyn:

I am in receipt of your communiqué from Wednesday last, in which you made the generous proposal to form a partnership with you in shepherding the UK Labour Party toward victory in future elections.

First of all, thank you for considering me and the movement I lead for such an honorable position. Hamas in general, and I personally, welcome every sign that our cause is not universally reviled in Europe. Our position both at home in Palestine and in the capitals of the Middle East, remains sensitive. With reluctance, then, I am forced to decline your offer, as Hamas needs me at this crucial time to dedicate myself to cultivating and maintaining allies in Tehran, Doha, Sana, Damascus, Beirut, and Ankara.

I look forward to a time when our position has stabilized and improved to the point that we can stand together before throngs of progressive supporters in London and around the UK to call for the destruction of Israel. It warms my heart, and the hearts of all who see the glory and freedom of an Islamic Palestine as values, to see we have such an ally in the fight against Zionist imperialism. It remains my fervent prayer that sooner, rather than later, we can join hands in a victory rally to celebrate both Labour’s assumption of leadership and our seizure of all the land between the River and the Sea that it may be cleansed of Jews.

That time must wait, for the moment. I understand that you have made similar overtures to our colleagues Hezbollah in Lebanon – we, too, have strengthened our ties with Comrade Nasrallah of late, as we work to develop a comprehensive regional strategy, guided by Ayatollah Khamenei, to dislodge the foreign bodies in our midst and crush them into nothingness. While I cannot neglect my full-time duties as chief of Hamas’s international relations to help lead Labour, I can in my present capacity facilitate other such contacts for you: Houthis in Yemen, antigovernment elements in Bahrain, Muslim Brotherhood personnel in Jordan and Egypt, and various jihadi groups in Syria, Iraq, and beyond. Our new, deeper relationship with Iran has afforded us access to numerous like-minded organizations seeking to impose a unified Islamic order on the region.

Therefore, while I must refuse your warm offer to join forces with Labour, I remain at your service, available to offer advice on myriad issues of concern, such as digging tunnels through which jihadi men can infiltrate into Britain even if Brexit results in closed borders that would otherwise prevent them from entering.

I look forward to many more years of fruitful cooperation.

Ismail Haniyeh

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