Israel must accept Hamas government
Feb 20, 2006
ISRAEL has intensified pressure on the Palestinian Authority by declaring that it will no longer hand over $50 million of tax and customs receipts each month
ISRAEL has intensified pressure on the Palestinian Authority by declaring that it will no longer hand over $50 million of tax and customs receipts each month. The Authority will no longer be able to pay the salaries of its 13,000 workers.
The swearing in of the new Palestinian Parliament on Sunday provoked the crisis because most MPs belong to Hamas which won a shock electoral victory over Fatah last month. Israel says that the Palestinian government is now a terrorist government since it is controlled by Hamas and refuses to deal with it. The United States has followed suit by demanding that Palestine refund $50 million that it had donated for reconstruction.
Israel and the United States are being very short-sighted. Even Fatah had terrorist roots, even the state of Israel has a terrorist past. The key question that the Israeli government should ask is whether the new Hamas government will be radical or pragmatic.
The initial indications are that the Hamas government is not seeking confrontation with Israel. The Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas has said that the Oslo accords make the state of Israel a permanent reality and the new Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has said that Hamas is willing to consider a long-term commitment to agreements with Israel.
What has Israel achieved by this hardline stance with the new Palestinian government? It has comforted voters in Israel who had been frightened by the unexpected electoral victory of Hamas. However Hamas is now contacting Iran to cover its funding shortfall following the loss of its customs revenues.
Instead of drawing Hamas into conciliation, Israel is forcing it into the arms of one of its enemies. This is short-sighted and counter-productive.
Israel should promptly resume payment to the Palestinian Authority of its customs dues. Israel should give Hamas the benefit of the doubt until it does something genuinely unacceptable as agovernment.
The swearing in of the new Palestinian Parliament on Sunday provoked the crisis because most MPs belong to Hamas which won a shock electoral victory over Fatah last month. Israel says that the Palestinian government is now a terrorist government since it is controlled by Hamas and refuses to deal with it. The United States has followed suit by demanding that Palestine refund $50 million that it had donated for reconstruction.
Israel and the United States are being very short-sighted. Even Fatah had terrorist roots, even the state of Israel has a terrorist past. The key question that the Israeli government should ask is whether the new Hamas government will be radical or pragmatic.
The initial indications are that the Hamas government is not seeking confrontation with Israel. The Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas has said that the Oslo accords make the state of Israel a permanent reality and the new Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has said that Hamas is willing to consider a long-term commitment to agreements with Israel.
What has Israel achieved by this hardline stance with the new Palestinian government? It has comforted voters in Israel who had been frightened by the unexpected electoral victory of Hamas. However Hamas is now contacting Iran to cover its funding shortfall following the loss of its customs revenues.
Instead of drawing Hamas into conciliation, Israel is forcing it into the arms of one of its enemies. This is short-sighted and counter-productive.
Israel should promptly resume payment to the Palestinian Authority of its customs dues. Israel should give Hamas the benefit of the doubt until it does something genuinely unacceptable as agovernment.