(Ha'aretz) - Zvi Bar'el The importance of the hudna (cease-fire) is in the fact that it will bring the opposition groups and the Hamas and Jihad, which were not part of the PLO, back into a broad national framework under a common leadership. Deriving from this comes the implementation of Abu Mazen's vision to have one law, one security force, and one leadership. The PA will be spared going to war against an organization that represents more than 25% of the population. Hamas' weapons will become an inseparable part of the Palestinian defense establishment. That is the vision. Meanwhile there are only agreements in principle, held together by fragile consent, to conditions that are yet to be filled and pending an Israeli and American nod. A hudna, it should be remembered, is only a temporary agreement.
2003-06-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive