Deja Vu (Israeli reaction to Hamas same as earlier reaction to the PLO)

[Wordie]

Deja Vu
by Uri Avnery
February 01, 2006
Gush Shalom

If ariel Sharon had not been in a deep coma, he would have jumped out of his bed for joy.

The Hamas victory fulfils his most ardent hopes.

For a whole year now, he did everything possible to undermine Mahmoud Abbas. His logic was quite obvious: The Americans wanted him to negotiate with Abbas. Such negotiations would inevitably have lead to a situation that would have compelled him to give up almost all of the West Bank. Sharon had no intention of doing so. He wanted to annex about half of the territory. So he had to get rid of Abbas and his moderate image.

Avnery then explains how the Palestinian's lives got substantially worse over the last year. The Wall, the failure of Israel to release important prisoners, etc., all contributed to the message of Israel to the Palestinians that Abbas was weak ("a chicken without feathers", as Sharon put it), and that Abbas' efforts (offering peace and observing a cease-fire) were futile. And that all of this constituted a tacit message to the Palestinians that Israel would only understand "the language of force." Avnery goes on to explain the reasons for Hamas' victory. And points out that the same things Israel is now saying about Hamas,, it once also said about the PLO ( Terrorists. Murderers. The Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel. We shall never never never negotiate with them.)

Gradually, the tone will change. Both sides, and the Americans, too, will climb down from the tall tree. Hamas will state that it is ready for negotiations and find some religious basis for this. The Israeli government (probably headed by Ehud Olmert) will bow to reality and American pressure. Europe will forget its ridiculous slogans.

In the end, everybody will agree that a peace, in which Hamas is a partner, is better than a peace with Fatah alone.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=9638

[number6]

1. Deja Vu

all over again

[Behind the Aegis]

2. Deja Vu..in that this is a dupe.

:hi:

[Wordie]

3. Actually, mine was posted first, but that's ok. Violet and I posted the

same article w/in 1 minute of each other. I was content to just let mine sink. I guess you guys aren't.

MODS: Delete this one if you wish, as everyone saw Violet's before mine.