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Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |||
How to curb the tension in Gaza | |||
2008-02-27 | |||
Co-authored by Robert Malley Ever since the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit was abducted by Palestinian militants a little over a week ago, all actors in the current drama in Gaza have been performing according to script. Not knowing what to do, they are doing what they know. For Hamas – the elected Palestinian government – that means violence; for Israel, collective punishment; and for the international community – well, not much really. None of this will lead anywhere, certainly nowhere good. There is a desperate need for all parties to reassess pragmatically their positions. The first step is to understand what the crisis is and is not about. Israeli and western analysts swiftly concluded that Hamas's decision to resume armed attacks reflected a deep internal split, that it was dictated by a harder-line Islamist leadership in exile bent on confrontation in order to embarrass a more pragmatic Islamist government obsessed with self-preservation. If tensions within Hamas prompted the violence, then the way to end it was surely to isolate its more radical external wing while pressuring local leaders to make a more decisive break. This analysis, and the policies to which it has given rise, display unhappy ignorance of how Hamas functions and what its current leadership is about. Differences of opinion do exist, but they are far more complex than any tidy inside/outside split could possibly suggest. The International Crisis Group, as a conflict prevention organisation, meets very regularly with its leaders, in the occupied territories and elsewhere. We have little patience for Hamas's ideology and nothing but revulsion for its terror tactics. But we listen. Over the past several weeks, we have heard divergent tonalities, distinct priorities – and one overriding message: let Hamas govern or watch it fight.
It is understandable, in this fraught environment, that Israel may believe that punishing the Palestinian people in violation of international law is all it can do to preserve its deterrent credibility and discourage future abductions. But lead to the soldier's release unharmed? Strengthen Palestinian pragmatists? Restore the ceasefire? By now, through trial and serial errors, one would hope Israeli leaders know better. In the current confrontation, Hamas's support is growing, its ranks are becoming more unified and its detractors are being reduced to silence.
The recent signing of a Fatah-Hamas agreement, the decision to form a national unity government and the designation of Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian president, as the person in charge of negotiations with Israel do not quite add up to the conditions put forward by the Quartet group of Middle East mediators for treating this government as it did its predecessor. But, insufficient as they may be, these developments do represent some movement. Given the urgency of the current situation, they ought to prompt at least Brussels to rethink its posture and consider expanding its funding mechanism to include Palestinian salaries and the critically important security sector. The western consensus since the Palestinian elections has been that no one should deal with Hamas unless it fundamentally alters its ideology. That is a perfectly defensible position until you actually want something from the group – ending violence, say, or releasing a hostage. Whether the deal outlined above actually can be reached is anything but sure. But the alternative is known. It has been seen before. And it is hauntingly depressing. | |||
Posted by:tipper |
#5 put a moat around Gaza filled with sharks and saltwater... about 1 mile wide. |
Posted by: 3dc 2008-02-27 18:36 |
#4 this opinion piece is from 2006 |
Posted by: mhw 2008-02-27 08:22 |
#3 Curb the tension? How about by dropping the high tension lines to the curb? Do they have curbs? Do they have high tension lines? |
Posted by: Glenmore 2008-02-27 07:20 |
#2 Ever since the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit was abducted by Palestinian militants a little over a week ago Note the date this article was published: Wednesday Jul 5 2006. |
Posted by: trailing wife 2008-02-27 07:10 |
#1 What utter bollocks. The only 'urgency' is that the Israel has comprehesively won the war on terror within its borders (apart from the Kassams). Therefore the Paleos desperately and urgently need their asses saved from their own dismal incompetance. |
Posted by: phil_b 2008-02-27 05:42 |