Hamas Joins Fatah in Unity Government

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 9, 2011
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                 Ever since Hamas won internationally monitored parliamentary elections Jan 26, 2006 in Gaza, it split itself off from the late Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization or Palestine Authority now controlled by 81-year-old Mahmoud Abbas.  Once Hamas secured an electoral majority, former President George W. Bush and his Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected Hamas as a terror organization.  When Hamas seized Gaza by force June 13, 2007, it was, in part, a reaction to a complete rejection by the Bush administration after winning elections.  Speaking out in Paris, Hamas’ Syria-based leader in exile, Khaled Mashaal blasted the U.S. for targeting Osama bin Laden.  “Concerrning Bin Laden, everyone knows Hamas has differences from al-Qaeda  . . . especially (its) operations targeting civilians . . . “ rejecting the U.S.’s right to enforce pioneer-style justice.

            Hamas was founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as a guerrilla-type resistance movement to the state of Israel.  Yassin wasn’t pleased with Arafat’s 1978 peace agreement with Israel, accepting U.N. resolution 242, Israel’s right to exist in exchange for eventually returning to the pre-1967 War borders.  Negotiated with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Mechacem Begin and U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Isreal returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.  Israel retained the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the West Bank, today’s hotly contested areas for an eventual Palestinian state.  “But all this doesn’t give the U.S. the right to kill as they please without any regard for the law and to assassinate Arabs and Muslims, blaming everything on them and accusing them of terrorism,” said Meshaal, completely ignoring Hamas’ long history of suicide bombing civilians.

            It’s beyond ironic that Meshaal criticizes the U.S. for killing Muslims but mentions nothing of Bin Laden’s vicious attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, to name only one incident killing innocent civilians.  Reconciling with Abbas’ West Bank-based Fatah, Meshaal hasn’t accepted the inescapable condition for founding a Palestinian state:  The acceptance of Israel’s right to exist.  Hamas’ Gaza leaders, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, also haven’t signed on to a truce with Israel.  Reconciling the West Bank and Gaza are the first steps to working toward a two-state solution.  No amount of U.S. or international pressure can help the two-state solution without Hamas’ unequivocal acceptance of Israel’s right to exist.  Even during the heyday of PLO’s negotiations with Israel, Arafat used Hamas’ threat of violence as a tool to win concessions with the Jewish State.

            Attending a Cairo-based reconciliation conference with Fatah, Meshaal, urged the United States and European Union to accept the new Palestinian unity pact.  Meshaal warned Israel—like Yassin in the past—that Israel would face more violence and prisoner kidnapping.  “Netanyahu [the Israeli Prime Minister] is responsible for the delay in his release . .. we hope negotiations will start again and I hope Netanyahu will not force us to kidnap other Israeli soldiers,” said Meshaal, revealing his true terrorist stripes.  It’s difficult to negotiate a peace deal or prisoner swap when threatening more violence and kidnapping.  Meshaal wants to win the release of thousands of Palestinian militants currently holed up in Israeli prisons.  Netanyahu, too, wants to see the small numbers of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas, especially Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, abducted by Hamas in 2006.

            Meshaal reflects Hamas’ hardcore position of continued war against Israel.  Joining Fatah will require Gaza’s Haniyeh to commit to Arafat’s prior peace deals that require all Palestinians to accept Israel’s right to exist.  Threatening Israel with more violence and kidnappings isn’t the best negotiating position for the exiled Meshaal.  “If the only was to release our prisoners is the imprisonment of more Israeli soldiers then Israeli authorities and Netanyahu will have to bear the consequences of not having released Palestinian prisoners,” said Meshaal, proving that he’s the wrong person for the bargaining table.  If Gaza’s Haniyeh comes around, he’s going to have to placate radicals like Meshaal that believe armed struggle is the only path to an independent state.  Abbas’ hasn’t had too much success convincing more violent Palestinian factions to consider a two-state solution.

            Reconciling differences with Fatah and Hamas is the first step in the uphill battle of working towards a two-state solution with Israel.  Palestinian old-timers who hold grudges against Israel, like Meshaal, won’t win the kind of concessions from Netanyahu needed to form an independent Palestinian state.  Meshaal must let go of the past to move forward toward an independent Palestinian state with borders that include at least most of the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 War.  Without Israel’s spoils from the Six-Day War, there would be no land on which to negotiate a Palestinian State.  No Arab state before the 1967 war ceded one inch of territory to the Palestinians.  Only by renouncing violence and recognizing Israel’s right to exist does Hamas have a prayer to work toward an eventual state.  Threatening more violence and kidnapping doesn’t open a constructive dialogue.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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