A Wise Change in Plans
Here is a shocking question: should the West any longer have an interest in establishing an independent state of Palestine? It is shocking because what has been happening since the radical Hamas-Islamic government came to power is shocking. It is shocking because so many valiant efforts have been made by a succession of presidents, by Israeli leaders, by Europeans, and by some Palestinians. It is shocking because so many on both sides have died and will continue to die as a result of the Hamas manifesto that has virtually transformed Palestine into a terrorist state and that now threatens Jordan and Egypt, as well as Israel.
The scene has changed dramatically since Ariel Sharon suffered his stroke. His successor as prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who just called on the White House and addressed joint sessions of Congress, is in a decidedly unenviable position. With Olmert lacking the national security stature and brilliant military record of his predecessor, his political party, Kadima, won only 29 seats in the Knesset, fewer than the 35 to 40 seats that many believed Sharon would have garnered. This meant greater concessions to other parties to form a government coalition, which has weakened Olmert's leadership, especially since the leading coalition partner, the Labor Party, is headed by the ambitious Amir Peretz, now the defense minister. Many believe Peretz expects to become prime minister by attempting to break the coalition on some issue and force an election. But the Palestinian election of Hamas has narrowed the policy options for any Israeli leader.
The gun and the wallet. The true nature of Hamas must be fully understood. It is not just another nationalist political party. It is a radical Islamist terrorist group with a totalitarian DNA, just as it has been since its inception. Its leaders continue to support suicide-bombing terrorism. They describe the random murder of innocent civilians as a legitimate form of "self-defense," but they have also made it clear that they will not obstruct those who wish to attack Israel. According to the Arab newspaper al-Hayyat, their leading terrorist, Mohammed Deif, is even holding discussions with al Qaeda.
Hamas supported the Popular Resistance Committee, a terrorist group in Gaza, and appointed its leader, Jamal Abu Samhadana, as the head of the new security force, despite the fact that the PRC killed three Americans in the Gaza Strip in 2003--not to mention dozens of Israelis. Samhadana immediately restated his goal, "We have only one enemy. They are Jews. We have no other enemy. I will continue to carry the rifle and pull the trigger." Thus, a self-declared terrorist has been put in command of the Palestinian police force for the first time. Equally telling, the interior minister, Said Sayyam, has stated that Hamas will not sanction any security cooperation with Israel. On the contrary, it will coordinate terrorist activity against Israel.
For Hamas, nationalism exists only "as part and parcel of the religious faith." To Hamas, Palestine is Islamic land, and its covenant states: "God decreed Palestine to be a Muslim Trust for perpetuity," making the dispute not about territory and boundaries but about the need for Muslims to wage jihad until Israel no longer exists. The attitude of Hamas members toward Israel was captured by their foreign minister, who declared, "I dream of hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home, which does not show Israel on it." Hamas has rejected prior agreements reached with Israel with such contempt as to exasperate even the dovish former prime minister, Shimon Peres. "If they don't honor agreements," said Peres, "what is the point in negotiating with them?"
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