If I had a Hamas
A couple of posts ago, I noted that solutions to the Israel problem needed to begin with an acceptance that it exists and will continue to do so (without indulging in sterile discussions about whether it should have in the first place). It seems that even Hamas has come to this realisation.Three things I note about this. First, this is at last a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. Hamas is strongly representative of the disaffected in Palestine, and has a deep involvement in the community (which Fatah, since becoming the state, is thought to some extent to have lost). If Hamas can accept Israel, you would need to be truly on the outer not to. Hamas has not gone as far as recognising Israel's right to exist. Doubtless Hamas still believes Israel has no such right. But that's a technicality in this context. The other extreme demands the recognition for its own reasons but so long as no one wants you gone, it doesn't matter much whether they think you have a right to be here.
Second, the Western left is in danger of finding itself in a place in the debate occupied only by it and Nazis. Of course there is a broad range of positions on the left but some have drifted into a place in which they believe that Israel -- which has done wrong -- is seen as evil in itself. It's important to be clear about what is wrong: the policies of Likud and the vicious extremism of some Israelis. But even these must be dealt with. They express concerns that are real as well as desires that are unattractive. We can consider the concerns without meeting the desires.
Third, it works both ways. When you read this reaction:
But Israel's security establishment predicts that if Hamas does as well as expected in the election it will damage the Palestinian Authority and further undermine the prospects for an agreement.
you realise that the tunnel is still very dark and the light still a very long way away.
posted by Dr Zen @ 2:13 pm
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