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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-mecca09feb09,0,4229912.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
Will Palestinians Take the Second Step? Hamas Must Accept Israel's Right to Exist
[Los Angeles Times] Editorial - It remains to be seen whether Hamas is willing to join Fatah's leader, Mahmoud Abbas, in recognizing Israel. Before Europe and the U.S. provide further assistance, the government must acknowledge Israel's right to exist. That right is enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 242, passed after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and repeatedly reaffirmed, calling for a "just and lasting peace in which every state in the area can live in security." It isn't enough for Hamas to "respect" past agreements or to hint that it now embraces a document drawn up by Palestinian prisoners last summer that seemed to endorse a two-state solution. A Palestinian "unity" government that can't unite on this question will remain suspect in the eyes of some of the countries that can most help the Palestinian people.