(Scripps News) Clifford D. May - For more than half a century, Western politicians and diplomats have built upon a mirage: the belief that because we see peace as a benefit, everyone in the Middle East must see it that way, too. This assumption is mostly obviously false in regard to Hamas, which is fighting a jihad, a religious war. Its goal is the annihilation of Israel, an "infidel" nation occupying land Allah has endowed to the Muslims. A "two-state solution" or any other compromise is out of the question. Any agreement Abbas might strike with Israel, no matter how advantageous for average Palestinians, would be denounced by Hamas as an act of treachery and apostasy. So Abbas pockets any Israeli concessions the Americans can wring out of the Israelis while dismissing them as woefully insufficient; refuses to negotiate; but behind the scenes works with the Israelis on security and economic development. The writer is president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2009-12-03 10:21:55Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive