November 4, 2011

IT IS GOVERNING THE NATION THAT WILL MODERATE THEM MOST:

Is Hamas Moderating?: Fatah and Hamas have tried without success to forge a unity government, but with Hamas's Syrian patrons weakened, the group may be softening its hard line and ready for a deal (Eli Lake, 11/03/11, Daily Beast)

Top Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath, a key member of the Fatah Party started by Yasser Arafat, says his rivals inside Hamas appear to be moderating their positions and could be moving toward a deal for a unified government.

Shaath told The Daily Beast that the weakening of Syria's government--long a source of support for Hamas--in the face of civil unrest has changed the dynamic for Palestinians still trying to create a unified government that could negotiate with Israel with one voice.

'Jordan, Hamas on road to reconciliation' (Taylor Luck, 11/04/11, Jordan Times)

At times unlikely allies, Jordan and Hamas are on the road to reconciliation, observers and officials say.

Recent communications between the two sides have sparked a flurry of speculation that was only fuelled on Tuesday when Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh declared that the decision to expel Hamas leaders from Amman a decade ago was a "political and constitutional mistake".

Despite the rapid developments, analysts say only time will tell whether the Arab Spring-inspired thaw in relations represents a seasonal political shift or the beginning of a regional realignment with ramifications in Damascus, Ramallah and beyond.

Posted by at November 4, 2011 6:34 AM
  

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