Palestine’s prospects

[Abbas calls early elections in Palestine.]

Option 1: Hamas wins the election. Option 2: Abbas rigs the vote, and Hamas loses the election, then starts and wins a civil war. Option 3: Hamas and Fatah reconcile to avoid the election. Option 4: Hamas kills Abbas and finishes off the leaderless Fatah.

Bottom line: Fatah faces the death crisis typical of revolutionary parties. A strongman eliminates all competition and therefore all possible successors, thus dooming his party. With Abbas’ demise, Fatah would likely crumble.

Preferable Israeli policy: accept the Hamas government de facto, talk to it, and either set realistic terms for unfreezing funds or forfeit the Palestinian money altogether.

Odd: Olmert again proclaims his respect for Abu Mazen.

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Rafael V. Rabinovich

Why should Israel recognize anything? Why should Israel give them the time of day?No doubt that that IDIOT of Olmert would say something which the terrorists of Shalom Achshav would find cute… That is only yet another reason why we should pre-empt Hamas’ coup, and even before they get rid of Abu Maze, we should get rid of Olmert (what a good ridance would that be!!!).But make it clear: neither Hamas nor Fatah have any right to sovereignty, or eve to land possesion. If they want a land to call their own, let the go to the Falkalnd Islands and fight it out with the Brits and the Argentineans!

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Danny the Admin

I agree on Olmert and the Palestinian rights. But you ask, “Why should Israel recognize anything?” It doesn’t make sense to ignore reality. Hamas is not a bunch of outcasts but representative of the Palestinians who really want to do away with Israel. Ignoring Hamas doesn’t make sense. Kill it out or talk to it, but don’t ignore it.

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Jon

I am with Rafael, why should Israel give Hamas (a known terrorist group that bullied its way into winning in the firsat place)the time of day and discuss anything. I think Abbas should invite the Hamas leaders to a meeting and excuse himself and blow them all to kingdom come. Hamas doesn’t want peace and neither do any of the other Islaomfascist groups in the Middle East.

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Danny the Admin

It’s hard to be to the right of Obadiah )Being a terrorist group is no problem per se. Irgun, a terrorist group, joined Israeli government. Fatah, a terrorist group, forms the Palestinian government. Fatah’ killing out Hamas is a warming scenario, but would it happen? Hamas, not Fatah represent the people.

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Rafael V. Rabinovich

1. I am not interested in being “to the right”, but ON the right. Being right, that’s all.2. The problem lies on Danny’s wording. Neither Hammas, nor Fatah, represent any such Arab people of a distinctive “Palestinian” entity. They’re Arabs, allright, but that is all. Should Arabs living in, say, Peru, call themselves Andean Arabs, and start fighting for an independent Andean Arab country in the Peruvian mountains? Get ir right: there is no such a PEOPLE as the Palestinan Arabs. Yet they have a sit in the UN, they have embassies all over the world, they travel around with Palestinian passports, they even send a Palestinian team to the olympics. Why? Because the lefty idiots IN Israel gave the recognition before the nations of the world.

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Danny the Admin

To Rafael: You are right that disregarding the ostensible Palestinian nationhood is by far the best option. If, however, Israel deals with Palestinians as some sort of a nation, then it makes sense to talk to their elected representative, Hamas.Obadiah has a chapter in his book (please download) detailing many reasons to involve Hamas in the political process. Among other things, he argues for transforming effective guerillas into corrupt and non-delivering politicians.

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burt fisch

I agree with Rabinovich.

Israel keeps giving and the Arabs always take.

It will come to a head some day.

I HOPE BEFORE ISRALIS LOSE INNOCENT PEOPLE.

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