Hamas spells out policy on disengagement and after

[Gimel]

A classified internal document written by Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip lays out for the first time the official Hamas position on Israel's disengagement plan, the organization's intentions with regard to it, and a detailed description of the tactics the Hamas leadership deems desirable for achieving its objectives under the withdrawal process.

A copy of the document, which was distributed only to senior Hamas members and spokesmen in the Gaza Strip, has reached Haaretz. It is intended both to explain the tactical concept to activists in gearing up for the withdrawal, and to act as a sort of "cue card" for activists in their dealings with the media.

Other sections of the document set out a Hamas doctrine on the disengagement - a rare opportunity to examine its true positions on the subject as presented by its leaders, including political bureau chief Khaled Mashal on his recent visits to Egypt.

The document was originally disseminated May 24, after Israel's assassination of the movement's leaders Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi, and was drafted by Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas' No. 1 in the Gaza Strip, and Ismail Haniyeh, formerly Sheikh Yassin's bureau chief. It has since undergone several revisions.

Continued...

Hamas goes underground and takes over from the inside.