No surprise here. The agenda has always been and remains the recovery of the lands of Israel for the Dar al-Islam. From CNSNews.com, with thanks to Nicolei:
Jenata, West Bank (CNSNews.com) – If it were up to Ibrahim Alsakra, a member of Islamic Jihad who recently won a seat in municipal elections in the Palestinian Jenata district near Bethlehem, he would make an agreement with Israel based on a total Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
While Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction came out ahead overall in recent municipal elections, radical Islamic groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad made historic gains in the once-solid Christian area of Bethlehem.
Now there are fears that Hamas could win parliamentary elections scheduled for this summer, something that would complicate any attempt to renew Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
“If Hamas controls parliament it will [be] an Islamic State. That’s not good,” said a Bethlehem resident. It will not be good for the peace process, he added.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are opposed to any negotiated settlement with Israel, and they aim to establish an Islamic state in all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel proper. But recently some leaders have spoken of talks with Israel.
Sitting in his home, dressed in a long white religious robe and keffiyeh (a Palestinian head scarf), the bearded Alsakra said he is not a politician – that he ran for public office to serve the people.
Alsakra said he spent nine years in an Israeli prison for security-related offenses, which he would not name. Before that, Alsakra said he worked as a plumber and did jobs in Israeli settlements. (The Israeli settlement of Tekoa on a nearby hilltop is visible from the village.)
Alsakra said he went to prison as a Fatah activist and came out as a member of Islamic Jihad. After his release, he decided that he could not work in the settlements and fight to take over the land at the same time.
“Fatah is now weak,” Alsakra said. The Islamic organizations tried to liberate Palestine, but the situation is bigger than Islamic Jihad, he said. Therefore, they are willing to enter into a temporary agreement, he added.
“We made an agreement with the Israeli side now and stopped everything. Now we’re looking for Israel to respect the agreement,” Alsakra said.