Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar (C) sits inside the Palestinian parliament in Gaza City on February 18, 2006. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the new Hamas-dominated parliament that he would continue working towards a negotiated Middle East peace agreement while urging Israel and the international community not to "punish" voters for their democratic choice. (UPI Photo/Ismael Mohamad). .
Mahmoud Zahar is the subject or is mentioned in the following stories:
Hamas, Israel Cooperate to Ease Gaza Blockade
AMMAN -- The Palestinian Hamas movement seems to have realized that the punishment inflicted by Israel on Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians has been much too severe since it seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, and is now publicly blasting militants who fire rockets at Israel in violation of a truce as traitors.
Carter meets exiled Hamas leader
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter ignored strong opposition from Israel and the White House to meet with Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal in Damascus on Friday and by doing so inspired Israel's industry minister to say he is also ready to meet the exiled Islamist leader.
Egypt mediates but Palestinians far apart
Egyptian mediation to resolve the Rafah border crisis with the Gaza Strip hit major obstacles on Wednesday as rival Palestinian leaders toughened their positions against each other with each side seeking to control the Gaza crossing without speaking to each other.
Egypt forces regain control of Gaza border
Egypt partly regained control of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip Tuesday as it beefed up security along the frontier after hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded into nearby Egyptian towns in the past week to stock up on badly-needed supplies.
Analysis: Bush's peace plan: 364 days left
As of Jan. 21, George W. Bush will have 364 days left as president of the United States, one day short of a full year. That is an awfully short amount of time, especially when he is hoping to achieve a breakthrough settlement of the Arab-Israeli peace talks crisis, the fruit of which could yield lasting peace and the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israeli attacks on Gaza hobble Abbas
The death toll in the Gaza Strip continued to rise Thursday as an ongoing Israeli military campaign designed to halt Qassam rocket fire triggered even more rocket attacks on Israel and further undermined the Palestinian Authority's negotiating position in its peace talks with the Jewish state.
Voices of discord emerge within Hamas
Signs of discord have emerged between hardcore radicals and pragmatists in Hamas after the Palestinian Islamist movement's capture of the Gaza Strip, analysts said Thursday.
Gaza Christians fear 'those more extreme than Hamas'
The kidnapping and killing of Rami Ayyad, manager of the Gaza Strip's only Christian bookstore, sent shudders through the Palestinian coastal enclave's tiny Christian community.
Review of Arab editorials
A regularly updated roundup of commentary from Arab newspapers Jordan must keep balanced over Hamas
