According to Ha'aretz, Hamas' political leader Khaled Meshal has said his movement would accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip alongside Israel in its pre-1967 borders, and would grant Israel a 10-year hudna, or truce, as an "implicit proof" of recognition if Israel withdraws from those areas - Meshal offers 10-year truce for Palestinian state on '67 borders.
So that's the deal. Israel will get some sort of implicit recognition which, in truth means a recognition that it exists now but not that it should continue to exist, and a 10-year hudna which, in truth means a 10 year window of opportunity for Hamas to continue to arm itself for a future battle of extermination against Israel. All this in return for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and incidentally, blow the existing peace process which would be completely undermined if it swallowed this piece of chicanery.
And of course, Hamas can be trusted to honour any of this?
The same Hamas that was busily firing rockets at Israeli civilians and encouraging others to do so even as the Israelis were in the process of withdrawing from Gaza in 2005. The same Hamas whose spokesperson in the Gaza Strip, Sami Abu Zuhri, says such a state would only be "transitional" - Hamas wants West Bank, Gaza state but 'won't recognise Israel'.
In translation, what this all means is that, even if Hamas were to honour this "hudna" (and it has a poor track record when it comes to honouring anything) and if Hamas would ensure that all of the other Palestinian "militant" groups honoured the "hudna", the State of Israel would still not be recognised, either as a Jewish State or as anything else, and that in 10 year's time, all bets will be off and rearmed Palestinian "militant groups" would be free to start another round of violence in this ongoing war.
So that's the deal. Israel will get some sort of implicit recognition which, in truth means a recognition that it exists now but not that it should continue to exist, and a 10-year hudna which, in truth means a 10 year window of opportunity for Hamas to continue to arm itself for a future battle of extermination against Israel. All this in return for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and incidentally, blow the existing peace process which would be completely undermined if it swallowed this piece of chicanery.
And of course, Hamas can be trusted to honour any of this?
The same Hamas that was busily firing rockets at Israeli civilians and encouraging others to do so even as the Israelis were in the process of withdrawing from Gaza in 2005. The same Hamas whose spokesperson in the Gaza Strip, Sami Abu Zuhri, says such a state would only be "transitional" - Hamas wants West Bank, Gaza state but 'won't recognise Israel'.
In translation, what this all means is that, even if Hamas were to honour this "hudna" (and it has a poor track record when it comes to honouring anything) and if Hamas would ensure that all of the other Palestinian "militant" groups honoured the "hudna", the State of Israel would still not be recognised, either as a Jewish State or as anything else, and that in 10 year's time, all bets will be off and rearmed Palestinian "militant groups" would be free to start another round of violence in this ongoing war.
Further, the Road Map to Peace which was signed "without reservations" by the Palestine Authority some five years ago, and would have given the Palestinians a State by now if the promises made by the PA including ending the violence and incitement, was never honoured either.
Today's Jerusalem Post editorial describes Hamas as "a toxic opponent of peace". Indeed, it is nothing less than a two faced opponent of peace when its representatives talk to former Presidents of its desire for peace, while it fires its missiles into Israeli civilian areas over the Green Line and carries out attacks on border crossings where humanitarian aid is brought to help its people.
And what sort of "peace" is Hamas talking about when its Culture Minister Atallah Abu Al-Subh can appear on official Hamas television to present excerpts from the antisemitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as he did in this programme that was aired less than a fortnight ago?
The Israelis are entitled to something more than the insulting crumbs offered by the leadership of Hamas which can fool Jimmy the Dhimmi with their lies and their "ifs" and "buts" but not those who happen to have their senses about them.
2 comments:
Let me guess ... that speech from the Culture Minister ... Ed O'Loughlin be all over this storty in tomorrow's Age?
close but no ceegar!
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