(Hudson Institute-New York) Khaled Abu Toameh - It would be a big mistake to allow Hamas to take advantage of the Oslo Accords once again to run in an election. The Americans and Europeans must make it clear to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that his new partners in Hamas should accept the two-state solution, renounce violence and honor the Oslo Accords as a precondition for joining a unity government or running in an election. Abbas must do this before, and not after, he goes to the UN in September to demand recognition of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 lines. If he fails to do so, and if the UN votes in favor of a state in September, the world could wake up one day to discover a Hamas-controlled state in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas' chances of winning the elections are good, especially given the fact that many Palestinians see the reconciliation agreement as a victory for the Islamist movement and its ideology.
2011-05-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive