[bitterlemons.org/Daily Star-Lebanon] Yossi Alpher - Hamas is a dedicated Islamist organization with close ties to Iran. It represents Islamist objectives that are totally antithetical to Israel's values as well as those of moderate secular Arabs. To have any chance of success, Abbas must consolidate security control in the West Bank by a single Fatah-Palestinian Authority force in much the same way that Hamas has cleared the streets of Gaza of armed militias. He must reform his own movement's leadership institutions by replacing the "dinosaurs" from Tunis with new blood. And he must resist the temptation of a renewed unity government. It was not the absence of a peace process that brought about Hamas' rise to power, but Fatah corruption and disarray. Thus, there will be no new and dynamic peace process, no strategic wedge driven between West Bank and Gaza Palestinians, and no international force sealing Gaza.
2007-06-29 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive