DE-MILITANTIZED ZONE:

Islamic official attends PLO meeting for first time (Arnon Regular, 3/29/05, Haaretz)

Islamic Jihad head Mohammed al-Hindi attended a Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee meeting in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, marking the first time that a religious Islamic group has participated in a meeting of the PLO's highest decision-making body.

Hamas, however, boycotted the meeting, which was planned as a first step toward the inclusion of all the major Palestinian factions in the PLO's executive body.

Expressing optimism after the meeting, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told reporters that a definite possibility exists for the parties to "reach an agreement on basic political common denominators."

Hamas drops call for Greater Palestine: According to a report in al-Quds a historic understanding was reached with Hamas according to which the movement will merge with the PLO and relinquish its demand for total liberation of Palestine (Roee Nahmias, 3/30/05, y-netnews)

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has reached a historic understanding to incorporate Hamas into the Palestinian Liberation Oraganization (PLO) in exchange for relinquishing its vision of liberating the whole of Palestine, reported the London-based al-Quds newspaper Wednesday.

According to the report, Fatah will relinquish its monopoly on government and political influence, while

Hamas has recognized the PLO as the only legitimate Palestinian organization.

In addition, Hamas has agreed in principle to a series of far-reaching concessions, primarily acceptance of the PLO’s current political platform, which is based on the founding of a Palestinian state according to the 1967 borders. Verification of the report would mean the movement has abandoned its primary demand -- namely, the liberation of Greater Palestine.

Give folks an internal politics they can contest and they will.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 30, 2005 12:02 PM