How to Deal with Hamas and Fatah?
Here are three interesting articles about the situation in Gaza:
- Charles Krauthammer at NRO: Charles argues that the situation is, now, quite simple. The West and Israel should isolate Gaza, because the West cannot deal with a terrorist organization. Furthermore, Israel should adopt a zero tolerance policy towards Hamas / Gaza. “Israel should declare that it will tolerate no more rocket fire — that the next Qassam will be answered with a cutoff of gasoline shipments.” At the same time, the West should focus completely on Abbas and help him as much as possible. Abbas stands for – in the eyes of Krauthammer – moderation and the US should bolster him. Of course, Abbas is far from perfect (he’s weak for one thing), this should be considered his last change: it is up to him to turn the West Bank into a success.
- Daniel Levy at The American Prospect, on the other hand, believes that “ignoring Hamas and Gaza in an effort to bolster Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah isn’t going to work.” That is why he proposes “a three-part plan to address the current crisis and relaunch a viable peace process.” The plan consists out of three phases:
* Phase one: Stabilization. The US need to support Abbas, but not hug him to death. “Those elements within Fatah and Hamas and in the Arab world (hopefully including Saudi Arabia) who are convinced that the only stability and peace-building option for Palestinians (and Israelis) is via Palestinian power-sharing and national accommodation should establish channels of dialogue and negotiation towards that end.” Fatah has to “reign in its armed militants on the West Bank, to incorporate them into regular security forces, and/or initiate a process of collecting unauthorized weapons.” Furthermore, “In Gaza, Hamas will be expected to undertake a similar process of regularizing the carrying and display of weapons and the collection of unauthorized weapons with a view to a later integration of security forces. Hamas should impose order and a ceasefire that will also be accepted by Israel.” Lastly: “Mid-level officials will coordinate between Israel and Hamas in Gaza (directly or via international agencies) in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis and allow normal life to resume.”
* Phase two: Consensus-building on a new way forward. Once the situation has calmed down, “Abbas and the Fatah and Hamas leaderships should commit themselves to a new power-sharing political arrangement.” Which would result in “a new power-sharing arrangement between Fatah and Hamas leading to a renewed National Unity Government.” After that they have to: “Expand the circles of support around this new way forward: Hamas and Fatah would explain their respective positions and Abbas would advocate for international acceptance of the new Palestinian national framework as having the delivery capacity, especially on security, to carry forward a peace process.” Israel and the US would get involved as well and they would work towards a new plan. “Security efforts will be focused on solidifying a comprehensive ceasefire arrangement that includes the West Bank and Gaza.”
* Phase 3: Re-launch a better grounded peace process. “Launch a comprehensive regional peace process on all tracks. Israel and the new Palestinian government will announce their readiness to begin serious political negotiations on all issues. This process should also involve Syria, which is important in itself, and can help reduce tensions and avoid spoiler tactics that might undermine the process, emanating from both Lebanon and from within the Palestinian arena.” “As the security situation is further stabilized against the backdrop of the ceasefire, major efforts should be undertaken by Israel to dramatically free up living conditions in the West Bank, and to remove outposts and outlying settlements.” Also, previous agreements forged to re-link Gaza to the West Bank should be fully implemented — including the Access and Movement Agreement from November 2005.” Of course, “the Arab states, in the context of the Arab League Initiative, should undertake certain diplomatic gestures towards Israel.” The last point of this phase:
On the Israeli-Palestinian track, the negotiating goal should be defined as a permanent status agreement. In the absence of an ability to reach such an agreement, the process should not be defined as an all-or-nothing effort that has collapsed (learning from Camp David 2000). Rather, two fallback efforts would be simultaneously deployed: the Quartet should put forward its own detailed parameters for permanent status and perhaps have them endorsed in a UN Security Council Resolution, and Israel would undertake an immediate agreed withdrawal from the West Bank towards permanent borders, with agreed-upon international forces taking the place of the IDF.
- The Economist: “ecular nationalism of the sort Fatah stood for is coming to look like the weak force and radical Islam like the strong force. This poses a huge danger to a region already beset by violent conflicts. What is worse, Western policy is in danger of strengthening the wrong side by making the Islamists look like martyrs and the secularists like traitors.” A big problem with the “West Bank first” approach, hugging Abbas can labeling him a “moderate”: ‘Any Arab leader who wins the label “moderate†and is showered as a result of this with American love and money is in danger of being called a traitor.’
So, what needs to be done? Abbas has to deliver results. He has to show that moderation works. Working, in this regard, does not just mean that we should pour money into the West Bank; it means that Israel should withdraw, slowly but surely, from it.
From the three articles mentioned above, I agree the most with the article at the Econmist. Hamas and Gaza have to be isolated, the West Bank has to be supported, but money alone will not do the trick. Besides that, Abbas cannot afford to look like America’s best friend. That will only be counterproductive.
15 Responses to “How to Deal with Hamas and Fatah?”
I would support isolating Hamas in Gaxa if I hoped it would work. I see little hope for that.
Isolating Palestinians in impoverished enclaves in Lebanon has worked only to privide fertile territory into which AlQaeda moves easily.
Since AlQaeda is already in Gaza, I wouldn’t rush to create a situation in which they can flourish. Starvation produces desperation, and desperation leads to desperate measures, including heeding the call of AlQaeda.
But Doma: Israel already said that she would continue to send food and other humanitarian aide into Gaza.
Humanitarian aid does not lift anyone out of an impoverished and bitter state of mind..
It’s risky to ignore the psychological impact,
In trying to isolate Iran, we ignored their need for acknowledgment of their power. They, then, proved their power in nasty ways. (I know, this is a chicken-and-egg hunt, but an important factor, nevetheless)
I don’t claim to have a crystal ball as to what would actually work the best. Still, I think the drive to punish should not obscure a cool-headed assessment of possible results.
I note that after all the pressure put on Hamas to date by Israel and the West, they are parading victorious in Gaza.
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes one just has to calculate how to play the hand dealt in the most wise way.
Currently, I have serious doubts about isolation working.
Like in Iraq, I think we need time to absorb developments as they happen.
Helping Abbas as an interim strategy sounds reasonable, as long as it’s not the final strategy.
How to deal with hamas and fatah? [edited unacceptable sentence]
Israel should give nothing to Gaza. These people voted in, and support terrorism, let them suffer the consequences of their decisions. Stop infantalizing the palestinians. No one owes them a damn thing. They can’t continue to reject Israel’s existence, terrorize them and then demand Israel still send humanitarian aid to them. They wanted Israel’s so-called “occupation” to end, well then it should be a completely clean break, let the palestinians be on their own. They can’t have it both ways. Of course this won’t sit well with the lefist commenters on this board. Their convoluted logic is that Israel should continue to provide water, electricity and fuel to those who use that electricity and fuel to wage a genocidal war against it. Gaza should be cutoff and isolated.
[Second edit: I saw that this is the second time in a short amount of time that a comment of you crossed the line. Three strikes you're out. Try to make your point without using extremes.]
To the editors – Laura is advocating genocide and you let the comment be. To allow this goes against everything I consider Holy. I’m out of here as long as this kind of thing is condoned.
[MvdG: I saw the comment and decided to edit it - thanks for pointing the comment out though. Advocating genocide is, indeed, not allowed and we will not let that "comment be."]
Note to Jdledell and the editors, I NEVER advocated genocide. My comment was directed specifically at hamas and fatah, which are TERRORIST groups, not at any racial or ethnic groups. The question was asked what to do with hamas and fatah and I gave my opinion. In this absurdly politically correct climate we live in, now it somehow amounts to advocating genocide when one discusses what actions should be taken against TERRORIST GROUPS. For some reason terrorist groups which target Israel are given a legitmacy that one would never think of giving to al qaeda. Yet another double standard applied to Israel. I don’t think I would have been censored and warned if I had made that remark in connection to al qaeda.
BTW, did the editors reprimand the individual who made the nasty comment about Jewish women which prompted my other response for which I had supposedly crossed the line on?
what comment.
http://themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/center-of-attention/13610/center-of-attention-104/#comments
Comment #4
cosmoetica said,
June 20, 2007 at 4:27 pm:
Hmm…Jewish women are usually thought of as being as feminine as Slavic women with facial hair. Nice to know there are exceptions.
According to your logic, remarks attacking fatah and hamas are worthy of censorship, but demeaning comments about Jewish women are acceptable.
Chlorine trifluoride, possibly accompanied by pre-positioned canisters of NaK, I say. Anything and everything organic, including scummy terrorists, will ignite or explode on contact with ClF3. (Have you ever read about the chicken that exploded when exposed to ClF3? Imagine that happening to Not-So-Nice Mustafa with his RPG in hand.) And if canisters of NaK are burned through — NaK is air and water reactive as well as, ahem, “highly antagonistic” to ClF3 (active metals versus halogens, alkalis versus acids…). Talk about fireworks! Woo, hoo, hoo! [grin]
Domajot:
The Arabs have chosen their own fate, to date, and are continuing to do so — by their own choice. Neither Israel nor anybody else is really to blame, not even all the Arab nations exploiting the “refugees” and many other Arabs in the Territories, for the Arabs’ vice and squalor.
Note to Laura: Apparently Cosmo, who has made a number of “unreal” remarks before, doesn’t get out much and expose himself or herself to Jewish women (nor Slavic women, for that matter).
DO NOT LIE!
Laura said:
Israel should give nothing to Gaza.
It is sending humanitarian aid (it will still be bashed, though it is not Israel’s “fault” whatsoever that Hamas has taken over Gaza). It should cut off the provision of electricity and other services it has provided for ages (and what thanks that it deserves, does it get? Rocket attacks, bombings…) Let the Arab League deliver humanitarian aid. Any smuggling of weapons should result in a complete cutoff of all aid. Any attacks by Hamas, a terrorist criminal organization, should result in destruction of the offenders and the locations from which attacks are launched.
Well, since you were dishonest, it’s a relief. To think I was ready to discuss (yet more) concessions Israel might make to the Arabs to reach a peace agreement…
[...] Some suggestions for Hamas and Fatah at The Moderate Voice. [...]
DLS,
You and Laura are so busy plotting revenge that you don’t notice the kinds of revenge that backfire in your face. How well has torture worked out for the US, say?
You make a big mistake if you think of Hamas and Gaza in terms of what they deserve instead of what would work to defeat them.
Take a lesson from Jewish history. One of the things that kept the Jews together and intensely loyal to their own cultute and people was the outside presssure from constant harassment and, prejudice.
Even the holocaust served to strengthen resolve instead of breaking the spirit. In situations where the outside pressures have been less, falling away and assimiliating into other cultures has been greater. (A rabbi is the source of this lesson.)
By letting hatred numb the mind, one becomes vulnerable to making stupid, self-defeating mistakes.
BTW, fiery and thoughtless rhetoric doesn’t win any converts to the cause. It anatagonizes thus having the opposite effect. Sometimes, you have to choose whether you care more about winning in the long run or about having the temporary pleasue in spouting off and revenge.