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Adel Hana / AP
Palestinians ride motorcycles while waving yellow Fatah and green Hamas flags along the streets during a rally celebrating the signing of a reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas, in Gaza city, Wednesday.
By Martin Fletcher, NBC News Correspondent
On paper, it sounds marvelous; but peace in our time, it isn't. Peace, that is, among the Palestinians.
To agree to a unity deal between his Fatah movement and rival Hamas, West Bank leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wanted the two factions to combine their security services into one. A state, Abbas says, can't have two militaries, each loyal to a different master. But Hamas refused and the compromise is that each Palestinian party will have its own security services.
In other words, while agreeing to unite after nearly five years of bitter conflict, including an all-out war in Gaza in May 2007, each side remains prepared for the day after.
But with the Palestinian Authority building the institutions of a state, and collecting guarantees from dozens of countries that they will support the Palestinian application for independence and a full seat in the United Nations in September, it is imperative that Palestinians are united. Or at least, appear so.
After all, Israel's argument against a Palestinian state, for now, has been that the Palestinians are so divided that they can't claim to be a responsible member of the family of nations.
The agreement between Fatah and Hamas scuppers that objection.
So now Israel has raised another objection. They say Hamas is a terrorist organization, recognized as such by Europe and the United States, is sworn to Israel's destruction, and so cannot be part of a legitimate national government. And if it is, that government should not be recognized.
It’s either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said within two hours of the unity agreement's announcement. Abbas chose Hamas.
The problem with Israel's objections is that the Palestinians have been very successful at selling Prime Minister Salam Fayad's construction of Palestinian institutions and getting the world to agree to one key point: The Palestinians want to reform and only Israel stands in the way.
However, with the assassination of Osama bin Laden, the Palestinians, in this case Hamas, shot themselves in the foot allowing Israel to claim, as its ambassadors have been told to do worldwide at every opportunity, that despite appearances, nothing's changed. Hamas could not have been more helpful to Israel.
Ismail Haniya, Hamas leader in the Gaza strip, condemned America for assassinating bin Laden, calling him "a holy Arab warrior."
Israel poured oil onto this fire by broadcasting a video on Israel’s channel 10 showing an imam in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque eulogizing bin Laden. He told the worshippers: "The dogs of the West murdered one of the lions of Islam."
The dogs would be America. The lion of Islam would be bin Laden. The speaker added about President Barack Obama: "You should know that you will soon swing from a rope."
Assuming the video is genuine, and nobody so far has doubted it, there must be a lot of red faces in Ramallah. This is not the face of Palestine that Fatah leaders want the world to see.
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"an imam in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque eulogizing bin Laden. He told the worshippers: "The dogs of the West murdered one of the lions of Islam.""
"Ismail Haniya, Hamas leader in the Gaza strip, condemned America for assassinating bin Laden, calling him "a holy Arab warrior.""
Again, Hamas and its Islamic followers lives up to its terrorist reputation. This is what Fatah chooses as its partner organization. Why does it continue to be difficult to separate Terrorism, hate and murder from Islam?
Bin Laden was a mass murderer... I guess that's a qualification to be upper echelon Muslim... Not that different from Mohammed's historic mode of operation.
This alliance at least clarifies things for the world. We have the Palestinian transients declaring war on Israel and the United States and the death of its president! Anybody up for peace talks and fiscal contributions to the Palestinian cause now? Step up to the plate and get your name on the record.
Arabs need to stop lying to themselves. They are at war with everyone, everywhere that disagrees with them and that has been their historical state of being, raised from their mothers milk to believe in, for many millenium. Now the rest of the world has to accept them for what they wish and desire and work to be. Take the mask off and see it for what it is. Their will then be two divisons of muslims, those that want to kill those that disagree with them, and those that want to live in peace with those that live with them. The peaceful ones need to accept that they are at war with the others. War takes but one party, not two. Do that, and then we will have clarity. Then we will have clear solutions to pursue.
The Palestinian people have mad the wrong choice time and time again. They chose the Arab countries after WWII that sided with the Nazis, only to lose their homes as they evacuated at their leaders request. They chose Arafat and the PLO, who lied to them and robbed them blind. In Gaza they chose Hamas, that took the opportunity that Israel gave them upon leaving Gaza, only to start launching rockets. Now Fatah, which seemed on course to obtain peace, sides with Hamas, a stated enemy of the West and admirer of Osama bin Ladin. I have always viewed the Palestinians as victims of the terrorist leaders, but they are more victims of their own stupidity.
Look, Israel keeps trying to negotiate for peace. Israel left Gaza to the Palestinians years ago, only to have it become a hotbed of terrorism. Israel WANTS peace. Palestinians want to wipe Israel off the map. Palestinians launch hundreds of rockets aimed at civilians, and they do it constantly, irrespective of Israeli action. Palestinians view the entire territory of Israel as theirs and refuse to compromise. So should Israel just lay down and die and let it's citizens be killed, because this will happen if Israel gives in, and Hamas says that this will happen.
Yet in your eyes, Palestinians can do no wrong. Three weeks ago, Palestinian militants killed an Italian man who was in Gaza to HELP them. Palestinian militants routinely murder Israelis who are just going about their day, and then the murderers get streets named after them. The leaders of Hamas frequently meet with the Syrian, Iranian, and Sudanese government. Governments that perpetrate what amounts to be genocide against their own people. Do you still support and excuse these Palestinian actions?
Wake up and see that Hamas hates you, wants to kill you, and would never support you if your roles were reversed.
Truth is Power
What is you point? Even if everyone were to accept what you say about the Palestinians and the Israeli's, what do you see as a resolution? A sovereign future - where?
There has never been a sovereign Palestinian state, even Palestine is a fiction created by the British at the end of WWI. Unfortunately, the same can be said of most of the Middle East, all of the borders were artifically imposed with no regard to the ethnographic make-up of the region. That one point alone has been a source of friction for years Turkey with its Kurdish population; Iraq with its Sunni, Shia and Kurdish make-up; Lebanon; etc. Israel in some regards is the same but this time it was the United Nations that set the original borders. The borders have been expanded as the result of the four wars that have been fought to wipe Israel from the map. But to my knowledge the US and Israel are the only two countries that have returned territory. In the US case it has been easier as most of the territories are not connected to the remainder of the country, and the population in the territory was not dedicated to wiping out the former occupier.
@ Truth and to any who agree with his post:
I simply do not have the time to debate all of your points, but I will suggest that you look into "The Third Jihad," your post seems to outline many of its ideas. If you really believe in what your posting, try living under sharia law for awhile and see how well respected your freedom of expression is.
Hamas cannot help it but show their true color when they condemned the US for killing of Bin Laden. Abbas has made the biggest mistake of his political life by throwing the palestinian people into the hands of the murderers of Gaza.
Mark my words, pretty soon Hamas will take over the West Bank as they did in Gaza, with violence and murder. How sad.
While I dispise bin Ladin and Hamas' statement in his favor I would point out that we have effectively been waging war against them for several years. We have participated in a naval blockade of their coastline and have provided Israel with the cluster bombs and phosphorus used against the civilian population there.
Palestinians have the right to control their owns destiny, unity government with parlimentary and presidential election
israel doesn’t want unity government because it will lead to the establishment of Palestinian state and Palestinian identity
Netanyahu undercut Abbas by refusing to negotiate in good faith. His continuing policy of annexing the West bank into Israel while not allowing rights to Palestinians living there weakened Abbas and strenghtened Hamas. He has nobody to blame but himself for this development and Abbas' decision to go out to the world.
I find it rather telling that Netanyahu used the DISunity as an excuse to not negotiate and now he uses unity as an excuse to not negotiate. It is quite clear that this follower of the terrorist Mehane Kach movement and worshiper of terrorist Baruch Goldstei only wants conquest; not a negotiated peace.
There is no credible connection between Netanyahuand Goldstein, nor with the extremist Israeli group you mention, except in your own mind or Al Jazeer. All countries have their bad apples. Israel has had about 5 of them. The Palestinians have countless "heroes" who have killed women and children and then lionized for such sick acts. Look up Samir Kuntar, or the woman suicide bomber who had a square named after her.
Other than Goldstein, the Israeli radicals of the 40's, the Corrine what's her name incident, and the Liberty, Israel has no bad apples. The Palestinians have 1000's.
My Name is Gilad Shalit. This is my 5th YR suffering as a PALESTINIAN kidnap victim. I need your help PLEASE. Can someone please ASK JUDGE GOLDSTONE to file a criminal charge in the HAGUE on my behalf. To get me released. I am NOT A PRISONER OF WAR!!! My kidnappers are not operating as a recognised sovereign state. Therefore they have no protection under the Geneva convention, they're plain criminals and should be charged accordingly. ABSOLUTELY THEY SHOULD NOT BE PAID ANY MONEY, TAX REVENUES. Neither should they be given any audience with any diplomats before my unconditional release. Forgive me if i'm out of order for writing on behalf of Gilad Shalit, but i plead with everyone to help me, by writing here, in the open forums, help start talking about me. Get the ball rolling and i'm praying for my fellow humans to help FREE GILAD~~NOW.
WHO CARES WHAT ISRAEL SAYS?? They can kiss every moslems booty as far as im concerned, since when does a foreign nation dictate the terms of another nation? Israel the world is sick and tired of your genocidal maniac actions toward the palestinians. Your extremist Jewish views of slaughtering palestine are comming to a halt. The world will not sit idly as you destroy your neighbor and than act as a nation thats claiming self defense after you robbed your ally the United States of Tax paying money to carry out terrorist acitivities. Im happy the world is finally sticking up for Human rights and ignoring the Paid off Racist U.S. members of congress who are seeking the destruction of Palestine
It seems obvious that IsraeliLies never had an American History Class. You should hate the US government as much as Israel, and hate it from the days of our founding fathers. BTW...do some history on the middle east and let us all know when and at what time there ever was an actual country called Palestine with borders? This territory of land has had so many countries occupying this territory, such as Egypt, Jordan, Syria & the Ottoman Empire to name a few.
IsraeliLies seems to be a product of the US education systems No Child Left Behind....unfortunately he/she should have been left behind back in 1st grade.
Very rarely have I been speachless. In this case I am. What I don't understand is how you can believe your own lies. You have grown up under server proaganda and you continue to pass it along. When your brothers in Jordan,Irag,Syria refused to take you in no heard all of the allegations against them. You know why. You would not exsist. The only reason you bloviate against Israel and the U.S is we are free to say what we want and allow others to do the same thing. Grow up, think for yourself. Do you know just how much better your life would be if you stopped listening to your so called leaders who only continue to lead it's people down a road of destruction. Hamas, they are all sane. yea right. You and most of your people suffer from the Stockholm sindrome. You are so used to being abused by your own leaders you stopped thinking for youself and just became part of the problem. Do I want you to have a better life, absolutely. Should you be able to control your own destiny? Yes. Stop blaming the wrong people. Take the shades off your eyes and look at the issues and rather then have mullas or Hamas talk about killing Jews and making Israel the capital of the new califate. Why not saying, what can I do to make my life and that of my people better. If you constanly lived with rockets and terrorist attacks. I truly believe you would have a different opinon.
Kudos to "Truth is Power" - well written and true.
Forget the Two-State Solution - One State with Equal Rights for All, the Right to Vote, the Right to Any Candidate, and the Right of Return for ALL Palestinians, including ALL of their Descendants.
One Country for all Palestinians & Israeli's - and as a token of good faith, the Zionists can name the Country whatever the want.
this smells to high hell of Hezbollah in Lebanon starting with "security". I suspect if they can form a country, Hamas will slowly take over the West Bank.
Lastly, there is apparently no role for Fayyad who seems to be the one guy that lead the Palestinian people responsibly. I suspect he'll be kept on for show and then cast aside.
as long as the gazans will listen to the crazy sermons of their loonie imams ,palestine will not find independence or the region peace, it may be israel building settlements, but the stupidity of all palestinians giving them the permits.
The primary objection of Israel to a Palestinian nation-state is that the PLO and Hamas have as their dedicated, primary objective, in their charter documents, the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. Israel also objects, as you say, because there is no unified Palestinian government; but the main objection is the objective of the Palestinians to destroy the Jewish state. It would be immoral to create a nation-state which has as its objective the destruction of another nation-state. Such a nation-state would be at terror state dedicated to the death of other people.