FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

Question: What is the difference between US support for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and support for Hamas?

Answer: not much. Consider the recent ‘accidental’ payment of a full year’s salary to 3,500 members of the Hamas ‘security’ forces by the PA:

In defending his move, [PA Prime Minister Salam] Fayad initially claimed that the payment was a regrettable error caused by a computer glitch. In his updated story, Fayad claimed that a Hamas agent in his Ministry of Finance was responsible for the move.

Fayad’s excuses naturally raise the question: If Fatah opposes Hamas, why are all the names and bank account numbers of Hamas’s soldiers conveniently located in Fatah’s Ministry of Finance’s computer files? Aside from that, it is hard to believe that Fayad objected to paying the jihad forces. Since Hamas took over Gaza in June, Fayad has regularly paid the salaries of Hamas legislators, civil servants in Hamas’s government, and Hamas terrorists imprisoned in Israeli jails.

Moreover, Fayad’s assertions that Fatah opposes Hamas are hardly believable given that Fatah is engaged in intense negotiations with Hamas toward a reunification of their forces. Wednesday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas stated openly that he seeks to reconcile with Hamas. In his joint press briefing with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Abbas called for a “return to national unity.” He said, “The split [between Judea and Samaria and Gaza which happened] as a result of Hamas’s coup is temporary and will be removed.” — Caroline Glick

Since the Palestinians have no economy and no resources, this payment came from money transferred to the PA by the US or European Union. Our good, Western, anti-terrorist dollars and Euros.

It seems as though the US and the Olmert government are rushing headlong toward the creation of some kind, any kind, of a Palestinian state under Abbas (anything is acceptable, just as long as it’s not Hamas). On the Israeli side, I don’t know how much of the support for this is genuine or is a result of pressure from the US. US policy is apparently being dictated by the so-called ‘realists’ connected to the Bush Administration, such as James Baker, and the US State Department.

I’m going to make a prediction that this will not come to fruition. I wish that the reason were that Israel and the US would decide that making deals with Fatah is unproductive and dangerous, but unfortunately that will not happen. The change in policy will be the result of something much worse.

I think it’s likely that war will break out between Israel and Iranian proxies (Hezbollah, Hamas, and possibly Syria) within the next year. This will be accompanied by renewed terrorism from the West Bank, and it will become clear to everyone that Israel’s security requires a military presence there.

If peace is the goal, then I recommend that Israel stop pretending that enemies can be friends but rather build up a strong deterrent capability to keep them at bay.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Fatah, Hamas, Fayad

Israel and the US are making a big mistake by placing trust in Mahmoud Abbas.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting in Ramallah with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, Abbas – for the first time since Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in June – seemed to soften his stance toward the Islamist movement, calling on it to “return to national unity.” Abbas’s remarks were interpreted by Palestinians as an appeal to Hamas to resume talks with his Fatah faction.

Hamas immediately welcomed Abbas’s statements and invited him to talk to the movement’s leaders in the Gaza Strip.

“The split that happened [between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip] as a result of Hamas’s coup is temporary and will be removed,” Abbas said. “The Palestinian people are opposed to this separation because we want a united and independent Palestinian state.”

As I’ve written almost ad nauseum, if Hamas and Fatah join in a unity government, then all of the resources — money, arms, and legitimacy — that the West has showered on Abbas fall into the hands of the rejectionist, terrorist Hamas.

This despite the fact that the “renewed peace process” with Fatah has absolutely zero chance of success.

There are supposed to be political benefits to Israel simply from being in such a process. It’s generally believed that it wouldn’t do for Israel to appear to reject any opportunity for a peace agreement, no matter how far-fetched. However, the concrete practical consequences of this present process, which involves military aid to the Palestinians, are dangerous for Israel’s security.

I would argue that the supposed advantages from the negotiations are far overblown. There is supposed to be a propaganda point made — that Israel is always seeking peace. But by entering into a process which can only result in unacceptable demands being made on Israel, such as negotiations based on the Arab League Initiative, Israel leaves herself open to charges of intransigence and bad faith when she rejects these demands as she must.

Another problem is that Israel’s enemies continue to understand any willingness to compromise or make concessions as either a show of weakness or a diabolical trick.

My suggestion is that Israel should make a bottom-line statement something like this: we are willing to negotiate with anyone who will begin by agreeing that Israel is a legitimate state with a right to exist, and who will abjure terrorism or war against Israel.

This may seem like not such a big deal to the average westerner, but most Palestinians and Arabs believe that Israel is not legitimate, that its right to exist is entirely contingent on the decision of the true ‘owners’ of the land, and that therefore they have a right to ‘resistance’.

But a ‘peace process’ based on less than this must in the end be detrimental to the cause of peace.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Palestinians, Hamas, Fatah

Hamas continues ‘military’ operations against Israel:

An underground tunnel stretching towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip and hidden by a Palestinian greenhouse was discovered by the IDF on Tuesday, security forces reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, Palestinian terror organizations hoped to fill the tunnel with bombs, which would then be detonated under an unspecified Israeli civilian or military target. The army is also checking into the possibility that gunmen intended to use the tunnel to infiltrate into Israel. — Jerusalem Post

This is, of course, the tunnel that they found. One doesn’t know how many others there are in various states of progress that have not yet been found.

Only one Qassam rocket hit Israel today, it fell in an open area and no one was hurt. These are more common than rain showers (much more, this time of year) and are not even reported in the international media unless an ‘interesting’ target such as a school is hit.

Israel considers to supply water and electricity to Gaza while its Hamas government wages war against Israel. Where else in the world could this happen?

Technorati Tags: Israel, Gaza, Hamas