March 5, 2008
A CERTAIN LACK OF FAITH IN OUR OWN VALUES:
Bring in Hamas (Henry Siegman, March 4, 2008, IHT)
Saudi Arabia took the lead in fashioning the Mecca agreement on Feb. 8, 2007, that established a Palestinian unity government.Although Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab countries are themselves threatened by internal Islamic movements, they nevertheless advocated such a unity government because that would make it possible for Hamas to recognize Israel and to negotiate an agreement without making an ideological transformation of which it is not yet capable.
Such a transformation, however desirable, was in fact unnecessary for a peace process to begin since Hamas had committed itself to allowing Abbas, as the elected president of the Palestinian Authority, to conduct the negotiations with Israel. Hamas also committed itself to submit the agreement to a popular referendum and to abide by its outcome.
Instead of embracing this creative approach - one that would also serve to encourage the moderates within Hamas - both Israel and the United States rejected the unity government. They insisted on Hamas's ideological capitulation - and, should it refuse to do so, on its violent removal by Abbas's security forces, which were being armed, financed and trained by the United States for this purpose.
To Bush and Rice, not to speak of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister, Ehud Barak - who tirelessly lecture the Palestinians and the Arab and Muslim worlds on the subject of democracy - the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government was thus the preferred course of action.
How's that working out? Posted by Orrin Judd at March 5, 2008 6:54 AM
No better or worse than what the Palis have had for decades.
Oh, and I liked the bit about moderates within Hamas. Who are they? Where are they? Do they like modern jazz and Chablis? Are they willing to kill Mashaal and Huniyeh to take power and actually moderate things?
Posted by: ratbert at March 5, 2008 8:17 AMIn government. The extremists went to Damascus.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2008 11:04 AMSo now Henry Siegman is being quoted in a "creative" defense of this blog's favorite group of street pavers, sewage experts and sanitation engineers....
But then fantasy is always preferable when the reality sucks.
The choices presented to Israel are basically:
1. That she agree to dismantle herself.
2. That she agree that the Palestinians dismantle her.
3. All of the above.
And Israel's partners in peace are patient. They've been at it for almost 60 years now. And if they don't wear down Israel with a long campaign of attrition (about which they're quite certain) there's always the Iranian bomb around the corner. The prognosis is very, very good, praise God. With victory assured, why should they spoil a good strategy?
Israel already decided to dismantle itself. That's why Sharon moved to create a Palestine. The dismantling just occurs sooner if Israel tries to keep Palestine.
Posted by: oj at March 5, 2008 2:26 PM