Hamas Leader Revels in Freedom From U.S. Jail, Vows to Continue Struggle

AMMAN, Jordan — The Volvos, Mercedeses and battered taxis arrived one after the other outside an elegant rented villa in western Amman this week, dropping off a steady stream of visitors eager to meet the man inside.

Aides offered Arabic sweets and steaming coffee as Jordanian dignitaries, Islamic militants and foreign reporters waited together for Mousa abu Marzuk, the senior Hamas leader freed this week after 21 months of detention in the United States on suspicion of terrorism. He was flown to this capital Monday after Jordan offered him refuge, ending a case that had become an embarrassment to Israel and the United States alike.

In an interview, Abu Marzuk, a slim, bearded 46-year-old, was clearly reveling in his newfound freedom, chatting amiably, shaking hands and joking about his training as an industrial engineer as he helped one reporter with her radio equipment.

But beneath the buoyant good humor, the former political leader of the militant Islamic movement had a clear message: He will continue to work with Hamas against Israel, and will stop the fight only “when [Israel] recognizes the rights of the Palestinian people.”

“I’m still with my commitment to help the Palestinian people in their interest--to build a state, to be free, to build their country,” he said. But he declined to specify what role he might play, saying he had not yet had time to contemplate his future.

In exchange for his release, Abu Marzuk gave up his permanent resident status in the United States and said he would not contest the terrorism accusations that led to his detention. He also agreed not to sue the U.S. government.

Despite the no-contest plea, however, he continued to deny that he had ever engaged in terrorism. He also said he had refused U.S. demands to stop his political activities, refrain from visiting countries that U.S. officials associate with terrorism and condemn violence by Palestinians against Israelis.

“We don’t consider what Palestinians are doing in Palestine as terrorism or violence,” he said. “They are resisting occupation. It is their right to resist this if there is no other solution.”

He also expressed some bitterness at the United States, which kept him in jail for nearly two years without charges. Much of the time was spent in solitary confinement.

“I feel there is no justice for Palestinians in the United States,” he said.

Abu Marzuk, who lived for several years in suburban Virginia, was arrested in July 1995 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. His name was on a U.S. list of people suspected of terrorist activities. Israel asked for his extradition, saying it wanted to try him on charges that he helped plan and finance deadly attacks claimed by the military wing of Hamas.

Abu Marzuk argues that his political and fund-raising activities for the organization, also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, bear no connection to the group’s military operations.

Last month, Israel decided that it would no longer pursue the case, citing concerns that a trial could further disrupt the troubled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and open Israel to a new campaign of violence. Officials in Jerusalem also said there was growing anxiety that Israel might not have enough evidence to prove its case.

Jordan then offered to take him in, with the blessing of the United States and Israel.

Jordanian officials said this week that there will be no restrictions placed on the Hamas leader as long as he abided by Jordanian law. Political analysts also noted that Abu Marzuk was expelled from Jordan once before--in 1995, under pressure from the United States--and said he was unlikely to risk being thrown out again.

“Hamas has been pretty amenable to playing by the unwritten ground rules in Jordan,” said Rami Khouri, a longtime political commentator. “They can hold meetings and speak out, but they can’t agitate too much and they certainly cannot advocate violent actions against Israel from Jordan. If he doesn’t want to abide by the rules, he’ll go somewhere else.”

Khouri and others said the invitation to Abu Marzuk also may have been a savvy political step by Jordan’s King Hussein, who must walk a thin line in balancing his peace agenda against the views of Palestinians, who make up a majority of Jordan’s population.

By allowing Abu Marzuk in, Khouri said, the king “gets credits with the U.S. and with Israel” and earns points at home as well.

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In some 1997 stories, and stories from 2001 onward, Mousa abu Marzuk is referred to as Mousa abu Marzook.

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