<<< Hamas leaders, though, such as paralyzed cleric Sheik Yassin, have long argued they are willing to consider a truce, or a "hudna," if Israel withdraws from Palestinian land.
The problem is that Yassin, and his Lieutenants believe that "Palestinian land" consists of ALL OF PALESTINE, INCLUDING ISRAEL.
Thus, any withdrawal would require dissolution of Israel.
And the fact that Hamas (coordinating with other groups) launched a series of attacks leading up to, and immediately after, the Aquaba summit, where Israel agreed to dismantle settlements, is indicative that Yassin would only consider any "truce" to be merely an opportunity to consolidate the power of a fundamentalist and militant governmental entity that would later seek to confront and destroy Israel proper.
Look at their ideology Thomas... Hamas is an off-shoot of the Moslem Brotherhood, believing along the lines of the Wahhabists of Saudi Arabia. They have NO DESIRE to make peace with Jews (or any other "infidels"). Any peace would be used to increase their strength and base of power for later "jihads".
But the idea of a truce is a "baby step" that can be taken between Israel and the PA.. However, Hamas will not permit their military power to be subjugated to a secular authority. Thus, eventually civil war will erupt between the PA and Hamas. It may take years, it may take decades, but no one should delude themselves into believing that Hamas has any intention of entering into any peace agreement with the Israelis.
That said, every opportunity should be utilized to increase the prestige of Abbas so that he can been seen as a viable alternative for ending the violence, even if that means continuing to target Hamas.
Hawk |
