Hooray for Hamas. No, really. Kind of.
I know as a pro-Israel Jew I'm supposed to be dismayed at Hamas' victory in the recent Palestianian elections, but I can't help but feel hopeful about it. Now, unlike before the elections, the necessary conditions for a peace agreement exist. It's a truism in Arab-Israeli politics that no one who makes a career of talking about peace is capable of delivering it. Only a brute with impeccable credentials for hating the enemy will be trusted by his people to make concessions on their behalf. Rabin, Sharon and Arafat were all proof of this. (Barak too, although he was by far the least militant, and consequently lacked the political strength of the others.) Mahmoud Abbas was never going to have the authority to make a peace agreement and make it stick, but Hamas will.
Okay, so Hamas, officially, isn't interested in peace, only the destruction of Israel. Fine -- so was the P.L.O. To stay in power (barring an illegal power grab, which I don't think Israel or the U.S. would tolerate), Hamas is going to have to change its ways to reflect the wishes of the Palestinian people. Are they ready for peace? I'm not sure -- but if they're not, no government is going to push them into it. (I just saw on the New York Times' site that I'm not alone in seeing things this way.)
Okay, so Hamas, officially, isn't interested in peace, only the destruction of Israel. Fine -- so was the P.L.O. To stay in power (barring an illegal power grab, which I don't think Israel or the U.S. would tolerate), Hamas is going to have to change its ways to reflect the wishes of the Palestinian people. Are they ready for peace? I'm not sure -- but if they're not, no government is going to push them into it. (I just saw on the New York Times' site that I'm not alone in seeing things this way.)
posted by Jeff at 1:11 PM
1 Comments:
There are several things to like about Hamas winning. Let me summarize:
1) Now that they have "legitimate" political power, they will be forced to choose whether they want to be taken seriously in the World Community by renouncing terror and their desire to see Israel wiped from the Earth.
2) If they choose not to make said renouncement, the World Community has no choice but to side with Israel in terms of protecting themselves (preemptively or otherwise) from a terrorist regime. Gone will be the days where France or Russia or any other UN member can support the Palestinians. To do so would basically be international political suicide.
3) Since the overwhelming majority of Americans have been totally polarized against terrorism in any format since 9/11, many who had previously supported the Palestinians over Israel can no longer do so in good faith if Hamas doesn't renounce their terrorist platform.
Bottom line, while it is disturbing to think that a terrorist regime can be ELECTED to power, it's really a win-win for Israel. Let us not forget that Israel has time and time again withstood numerous attacks from both legitimate governments as well as the Hamases and Jihads of the region. I feel quite confident in the IDF and that should Hamas wish to pursue a military course of action, they will be met with a response a thousand times worse than anything they can muster. On the other hand, if they DO decide to change course towards one of peace, well...Israel wins there too.
If I sound overly biased that is only partly true. Yes, I am what Jeff refers to as a "pro-Israel Jew", but I also know that it is not Israeli policy nor a civilian mentality to strap explosive devices to oneself, enter a crowded area, and take dozens of innocent people's lives along with one's own. It is not correct to label every Arab a terrorist, or every terrorist and Arab. I would never suggest such a thing. Yet you can see from statistics and hard evidence that an overwhelming majority of terrorism that occurs in and around Israel is committed by Arabs that subscribe to ideologies like those of Hamas.
Israel will continue to exist for a very long time. The irony is that now and for the forseeable future, peace can only be brought to the region by the same people who have never wanted it.
Post a Comment
<< Home