Cabinet member and University of Wisconsin graduate Abdul Rahman Hamad said in a telephone interview Friday with The Badger Herald that the new Palestinian administration is working to create one voice for the Palestinian people.

Hamad is the newly appointed Minister of Housing under Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie. He discussed the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict and his goals as a cabinet member for peace in the region.

Hamad said every Palestinian is looking for his or her own identity, which can only be achieved through statehood. In the meantime, he plans to help people socially by improving and providing housing and developing other public-works projects.

He added that the Palestinian National Authority must convince the Palestinians to act and speak with “one voice.”

However, Hamad stressed that Israelis must stop the systematic killing of the leaders of the Palestinian political faction Hamas before any negotiations can move forward.

“Without international, especially American, pressure, Israelis will not take steps for peace,” Hamad said. “But I don’t see that the Bush administration will be able to do [anything for us].”

Hamad admitted the PNA has internal problems that must be solved, adding that members within the current administration can work together. One of the main obstacles, he said, is the isolation of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

“Arafat is the elected leader by the Palestinian people,” Hamad said. “He is the only Palestinian person that can find a peace plan without facing any problems with the Palestinian people. Without recognizing channels with Arafat, no peace can be achieved.”

He also warned that in about 10 years, Palestinians will outnumber Israelis. This population switch may cause new power struggles.

“We will face a lot of problems and trouble,” Hamad said.

Hamad said although the majority of Israelis hope for peace to be achieved, he felt Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon does not have a vision for peace or a political plan and relies too much on military force, which will not solve the problems.

“[Sharon] doesn’t see the future for the Jewish people,” Hamad said.

This possibility may be enhanced by Hamas, which, Hamad said, has its own strategy and is not willing to fully cooperate with the PNA.

“We are hoping Hamas, as a tactic, would like to work with the PNA,” Hamad said. “If this is achieved, [it would be] a very good step toward peace.”

Hamad said he planned to travel to Cairo Saturday as part of a PNA delegation to negotiate a peace agreement with Hamas. He said Palestinians must be united in their efforts toward peace, adding that Sharon and the Israelis must become serious too.

Hamad graduated from UW in 1975 with a doctorate in electrical engineering.

“It’s a really good town for students,” Hamad said about Madison.

He is originally from the city of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza strip. After leaving UW, he continued his career teaching in Baghdad and later at Birzeit University near the West Bank city of Ramallah, serving as chairman of the board of trustees of the faculty of science and technology, chairman of the Palestinian Academic Association and vice chairman of the board of the Arab Corporation for Technical Development.

Because the politics surrounding the conflict is a part of daily life for people in the region, Hamad said that “every Palestinian had to get involved in politics.” Arafat and other leaders of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Tunisia elected him to be a delegate to negotiations at the Madrid Peace Conference and later in Washington.

Arafat then appointed him chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority of the PNA to develop and modernize the energy field in Gaza and the West Bank. He supervised the construction of the first electrical power distribution station in Gaza. He spent the last 18 months rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed by the Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory.

The new Palestinian administration was installed last month and vows to seek a cease-fire and aims to resume peace talks on the U.S.-backed “roadmap” to peace, which has been faltering since June.