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Hamas Sabotages 10-Year-Arafat Memorial
by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700
Copyright
November 12, 2014
All Rights Reserved.
Canceling a 10-year memorial for the late Palestine
Liberation Organization founder Yasser Arafat, all the Western countries that
wish to recognize a Palestinian state should think twice. With tensions flaring between
Gaza-based Hamas and Ramallah-based PLO, world powers gung-ho on founding a
Palestinian state should pause to consider the current Palestinians civil war. With bomb blasts in Gaza against
Fatah leadership, tensions ratcheted up between Hamas and the PLO. PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas accused
Hamas of sabotaging reconciliation efforts, bombing residences of PLO leaders in
Gaza. Accusing the PLO of “lies,
insults and disinformation,” Hamas officials rejected PLO accusations,
highlighting for European consumption the lack of readiness for a Palestinian
state. Since 2007, Hamas and the
PLO have been divided.
After this summer’s six-week war between Hamas and Israel, a number of
European countries see only Palestinian statehood has stopping the bloodshed. When war ended Aug. 26, over 2,100
Palestinians, mostly civilians has lost their lives. With damages exceeding $5 billion, most European countries want the endless destruction
to stop, fearing another repetition of the same destruction at some murky
future. Sweden recognizes a
Ramallah-based Palestinian state not to stick it to Israel but to stop the
bloodshed that repeats itself all too often.
U.S. and Israel officials reject any idea on an independent Palestinian
state without direct negotiations between the warring parties. With Palestinians divided between
Gaza and Ramallah, it’s difficult to decide on any substantive issuess for a
Palestinian state, including the capital, borders and right-of-return for
refugees.
Europeans pushing for a Palestinian state can’t decide how the state
would materialize if Hamas remains at war with Israel. Hamas’s current mission is to
destroy the Jewish State seizing land before-and-after the 1967 Six-Day-War. Most discussions of borders for a
future Palestinian state involve Israel rolling back to boundaries before the
1967 War. U.N ‘s 1968 Security
Council Resolution 242 asks Israel to roll back to the pre-1967 War borders in
exchange for peace with Palestinians and other Arab States. Hamas has never agreed to U.N.
Resolution 242, continuing, as shown in the recent Gaza War, to seek Israel’s
destruction. When the latest war concluded Aug. 26 with Palestinians getting none of their demands,
Gaza residents were convinced Hamas had won the war. Declaring an independent state
won’t stop the violence unless there’s a legitimate peace treaty.
Arafat died Nov. 11, 2004 at age 75 never realizing his dream of a
Palestinian State. Too many wars and failed peace talks with Israel couldn’t
bring peace to the Mideast. “The
hour of freedom and independence has arrived,” read a banner near the stage
where Abbas commemorated Arafat.
Arafat’s death-anniversary ended without the national unity needed for a
Palestinian state. When Arafat
controlled the PLO and Palestinian Authority, Palestinian ire was channeled
toward Israel, not Hamas. Calling
Arafat “the personification of national unity,” Thirty-something Gaza resident
Refaat Hajaj thought the current conflict wouldn’t happen under Arafat. “They deprived us of this
anniversary,” said Hajaj, referring to Hamas nixing plans to commemorate
Arafat’s 10-year death-anniversary, highlighting deep divisions making a
Palestinian state premature at this time.
Pushing a Palestinian state prematurely could lead to a more protracted
drawn out war, causing far more destruction than occurred in Gaza this summer. No matter how much the EU and U.K.
want a Palestinian state, the PLO and Hamas must resolve their differences
before it’s viable. Watching
explosions in Gaza’s PLO compound suggest much work is needed between the two
sides. “Those who caused the
explosions in Gaza are the leaders of Hamas—they are responsible,” said Hajaj,
accusing Hamas of trying “to sabotage the Palestinian national project.” Before there can be any Palestinian
state, Hamas must renounce its war against Israel. No matter how frustrated Europeans
are with Israel, they can’t expect lasting peace when one of the partners calls
for Israel’s destruction. When
Hamas agreed to reconciliation with the PLO in April, they agreed to let
Ramallah run the Gaza government.
Denying any involvement in recent terrorist blasts against the PLO in
Gaza, Hamas called Abbas “sectarian and partisan.” “Abbas speech is a web of lies,
insults and disinformation,” said Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri. “What the Palestinian people need is
a courageous president,” showing the kind of dissent that makes a Palestinian
state unrealistic. World leaders
don’t want to admit that Hamas’s summer war with Israel had more to do
fundraising than any real attempt to conquer Israel. Firing rockets that don’t hit their targets makes good headlines but ultimately invited
the kind of deadly destruction that won Hamas $5 billion in pledges. Going to war against Israel helped
Hamas extricate itself from bankruptcy raising $5 billion. Establishing an independent state
would force the PLO and Hamas to budget carefully, avoiding the kinds of wars
that have become all-too familiar.
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