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The Damaging Deal Between Hamas and Fatah

(Weekly Standard) Elliott Abrams - The agreement between Fatah and Hamas may not last very long. Hamas and Fatah militants have been killing each other for decades and reconciliation seems more a ploy for public consumption than a serious goal. But the deal will have extremely harmful effects that deserve attention. The agreement seems to require the departure of Prime Minister Fayyad. Hamas officials hate Fayyad because he is the real leader of the PA security forces, which have been trained by the U.S. in recent years. Those forces have established a working relationship with Israel, and together they have fought to stop terrorism in the West Bank. How is it possible that, in the context of this new agreement, President Abbas and the new prime minister will order PA security forces to continue to attack Hamas terrorists? As the American effort to train PA forces is based on the assumption that they will fight terrorist groups like Hamas, our training program may come to an end. In addition, the new agreement calls for permitting Hamas to enter the PLO, the organization that negotiates with Israel. How can negotiations be conducted between Israel and a PLO that contains a viciously anti-Semitic terrorist group dedicated to its destruction?
2011-05-02 00:00:00
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