Two representatives of Hamas, visiting the UK at the invitation of NGOs, declared that for Hamas, Israel's existence is a fact. However, Hamas cannot recognise Israel in a formal way before observing a 10 year truce (hudna) simply because the Palestinian people are not ready for this move. The 10 years truce plan was originally offered by Cheikh Yassine, the former Hamas spiritual leader assassinated by Israel.
Not only the de facto existence of Israel is something Hamas recognise but also they recognise that making a hudna with someone is another form of recognition.
In the meantime, the UK government who issued visas for the Hamas representatives to visit the UK, refuse to talk to Hamas which it considers as a terrorist organisation.
Trying to understand Hamas's move.
Antecedents: Israel withdrew from Oslo despite its recognition by the PLO, it is making sure the entire Palestinian population will be on its knees by starving and shelling them in order to put in place of the Hamas government a collaborationnist one, it is violating the Lebanese air space despite UN resolution 1701 and flying Beyrouth's southern suburbs at a very low altitude in a show of force and intimidation. I n fact, in the present political climate, Israel can act with no restraint. Why would then a bully like Israel take Hamas's meager offer ?
May be Hamas is putting this offer on the table as part of its diplomatic offensive or as not to tour Europe empty handed. The offer is also a sign that Hamas will not bend and accept any move dictated by pressure and intimidation.
The offer is equally a test to israel,s ability to engage in a peace process. Indeed Israel's condition during the height of the second intifiada to ease tension was always a three to five months suspension of attacks from Palestinians. Here Israel is offered ten years during which a peace process can be implemented, not to forget that Hamas has not been doing any military operations against israel for the last two years. If Israel refuses this hudna then it is contradicting itself. Israel may refuse the hudna on the basis that Hamas is a terrorist organisation but Hamas is equally the democratically elected government of the PA. So Israel does not want to talk to Hamas and to the majority it represents, to whom Israel want to talk ?
If Israel is hionest about its aspiration for peace and really wants peace and is willing to stop its hysterical vindication as to its existence and to live in peace with a diginified and not submitted Palestinian state, it should accept Hamas's offer, allow Palestinians to breath, to breath the air of democracy, political reforms and economic developments. Israel can put also its own conditions on this truce, it can assort the acceptation of this truce by a condition as to a peace deal based on the roadmap or the Arab initative in ten years from now.
However, I am not sure Israel wants peace. In this case, Hamas's offer can be considered as a test of Israel's willingness to stop the bras de force with the Palestinians and the escalation. My bet is that Hamas's offer will go unnoticed outside NGOs circles and some brief mentions in the European press, Madonna's adoption controversy getting more coverage than the will of the representatives of the people of Palestine to engage with their ennemies without losing their dignity. It follows from this that Hamas's offer, however meager it may appear in the eyes of many, is a completely rational and reasonable offer to start a peace process in Palestine based on de facto premices and not propaganda.
31.10.06
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Since March 29th 2006
21 comments:
Indeed, Zionists only believe that stability can be found in instability.
Hence the yo-yo game with The Road Map.
What is "hudna"?
Mohamad take is man, make a cease-fire, but when he was ready he went and slaughter all his enemy.
why israel need to accept offer that said: you will let us to prepare, to organized, to buy some wepons and in another ten years when we will be strong we will fight you again.
god they even don't want to recognize israel...and israel doesn't want peace?
why israel doesn't want peace? ohh I forget they are devils with horns...and you consider yourself to intelligent person?
stop beleive to all the propaganda you hear...israel want peace exactly like you, we are people exactly like you, we are all people.
Anonymous,
Hence the perpetuel state of war Israel is in since its creation. If Israel does not want to offer the Palestinians a hudna, neither a state, neither civil rights in a larger state, then all what it can offer is a perpetual state of war.
israel is a state of war since its creation because someone fight with her, its doesn't fight with herself.
why before 1967 the arabs still fight with israel?
why before 1948 the arabs still fight with israel? you always fight with us you always will, you hate us and you start all the wars you are not so poor innocent.
israel offer to them the 67 borders but they choosed the "hamas"..why we need to give them rights? they have now area in Gaza they need to give them self rights...we stoped to be the charge on them.
they choosed the hamas its their problem we don't want to talk with murders...the whole western world doesn't want to talke with them.
wow, Tzahal's troops must be slacking in their Engrish courses...
look at all those dangling participles!
At least "e"'s propaganda is semi-coherent!
e, anonymous,
Perhaps you should read this by
Uri Avnery.
By the way, if you get impatient anonymous, read the end of Avnery's piece first!
E, as much as I disapprove of your violent Sicariist ideals, I must say I appreciate your prosaic commentaries infinitely more than those of our rhetorically-deficient "anonymous" friend(s?).
After all, clever packaging is key to advancing your racist regime!
I like the way you make "e" post on command, quite miraculous.
"As if by magic the shopkeeper appeared..."
You are cleaver.
It is difficult for me not to understand Israel's concerns. Hezbollah cried for a ceasefire, complained that the United Nations took so long, and have lived up to the terms of the ceasefire. Is this working toward peace? Hezbollah has quickly rearmed and is currently attempting with the assistance of other governments to take over the government in Lebanon. Is this working toward peace.
My support for Hezbollah's rights has given way to my support for Israel's rights in light of Hezbollah's actions.
My support for Palestine remains, so long as Palestine works towards peace, but there too forces from other nations are working.
The reality, Hamas and Hezbollah, Lebanon and Palestine are simply pawns being pushed across the world board of those wishing to push toward the goal of an Islamic world. It is a tragedy for both.
Iran most certainly does not want peace. It has worked overtime to export its Islamic revolutio. It has threatened Israel, Europe and the United States. Iran is a driving force behind the lack of peace, not a force leading toward peace. Iran's President calls martyrdom and "art." I'm sorry there is nothing artistic about brainwashing people, and some have been children, to die violent deaths.
Zionists are always blamed for instability, in fact they preach about such things in mosques. So long as such hate is taught in mosques, there shall be no way to bring peace. Hate spawns more hate. The entire region is living a cycle of hate.
I support Israel, and believe they deserve the right to exist without those around them making them out to be deamons. I find it horrible that Islam, the religion of peace, is used to teach hate and is used to teach that Islamic peopel will rule the world -- but this taught in Palestine Sunday prayers.
Given these things, for Palestine or Hezbollah to say they want peace is not rational. Therefore, one can understand Israel's unwillingness to play the game when the other side has perverted the rules.
Roxie,
I don't understand the logic of your argument. You say that Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran do not want peace. For me this is propaganda because when you look at facts on the ground, what rae these movements offered by USrael ? Only daily wars and threats of war.
Wolfie,
I don't mind e's comments, what I mind sometimes is disrespect, vociferation and repetition (propaganda like). And at the end, uncritical thinking irritates me but sometimes it is good to see the funny side of it. Thanks for the link.
Wolfie, Naj, Behemoth,
The kind of comments e and anonymous have made these last days on the blog makes rational discussion on this blog impossible. I know from experience visiting other blogs which I appreciate and where I don't comment because any thoughtful remark I would make will be immersed in a sea of nothingness.
I don't want my posts to be immersed in a sea of nothingness, this is a destructive and not a constructive approach.
I work for these posts and they take time from my regular work. These commentators are like deliquant children on the beach going around and demolishing other children,s sand castles just for the sadist pleasure of it.
I understand your frustration Sophia. Only this week after placing a polite post on a blog speaking against the folly and immorality of the Iraq invasion I was attacked by vociferous and multitudinous readers labelling me a member of the BNP and a racist!? Ironically they seemed to believe that Iraqis determining the future of their country rather that the US government was a racist stance. Its a funny old internet out there.
Sophia,
Your sand-castle analogy is quite a propos to describe the futility of our own self-gratifying arguments...
I sometimes feel like all we are doing here is constructing sand castles and ultimately amounting to nothing, especially given the sophist progress on besieging the persuadable moderates.
Behemoth,
My analogy is restricted to children who build and children who demolish. I don't think we build sand castles by engaging in rational discussion
Roxie
Perhaps you can learn to see a bit deeper into history and verify your facts before shooting your simplistic meteors off!
Wish you luck in your education; If you choose to seek it!
In the meantime, perhaps you can rest your "I support X" and "I support Y" and "I no longer support Z." If you like to make uneducated guesses, perhaps you can do it sneakily and silently!
Sophia,
You know my position, I like to hear what those who oppose me say in their propaganda. How else am I to counter-attack if all I hear is that which I already know and believe? Children can poke their stick in my castle, it's not of sand to break. But I don't believe children are capable of creating propaganda!
Speaking of propaganda ... I am doing a comparative analysis of the Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda versus Joris Ivens' propaganda; both German-educated; one pseudo-nazi the other pseudo-communist; both deeply pro-aesthetics; both making their masterpieces at the conjuncture of history and fascism. I think the historical context of the 30s is a particularly interesting one to compare our times to.
As Behemoth notes, propaganda's efficiency is in its well-packagedness.
naj,
You can see by yourself that what is in the comment section on this blog is not unanimous neither consensual. However I am editing out evrything that has lack of respect and incitation to hatred. I am may be old fashioned but I cannot support this.
I went to a conference given by Canadian Philosopher Charles Taylor on the actual war on terror. he criticised the 'choc of civilisations' notion but insisted that if we publicise it as the only way of thinking about the other, the choc will come to happen at the end as a self fulfilling prophecy. He said that the media have a great responsibility in inserting this belief in our mind and once it will become a wide belief, the choc will then become realityé
Behemoth
do you think Arab governments are NOT racist? You should hear what Arab Muslims say about black people. Their comments are more racist than the KKK.
Hamas peace deal ignored by US media
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