Call that needs to be heard

Nov.12, 2007

Call that needs to be heard



THE announcement by Hamas leader and former prime minister Ismail Haniyeh that Hamas would hold reconciliation talks with Fatah led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and hint that it might be ready to cede control of the Gaza Strip is the first sign of a thawing of the line purused by the group.
It is surprising that the announcement, which was made on in an urgent bulletin posted on a pro-Hamas Web site, was rejected by a senior Abbas aide. Obviously, there are behind-the-scene elements at play.
In any event, the most important aspect of Haniyeh's statement is that the Hamas "administration of Gaza is temporary." It signals an acceptance of the fact that there could not be two Palestinian entities — one controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the other by Fatah in the West Bank, and there needs to be a united Palestinian platform.
It is one of the conditions laid down by Abbas that any dialogue with Hamas is not possible until it submits anew to his authority and gives up Gaza, which it seized in mid-June after clashes with Fatah.
The Hamas statement comes against the backdrop of a flurry of diplomatic activities ahead of the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference, which is expected to be held in November.
Hamas, which refuses to meet the conditions placed by Israel and supported by the West, will not be invited to the conference, which is predicted to be a landmark in efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The group has been calling on Arab countries not to attend the conference.
As far as the Arab World is concerned, the most important factor is that the conference should tackle the core issues of the conflict such as the borders of a Palestinian state and the future of Jerusalem and millions of Palestinian refugees. The forum should not be turned into a photo opportunity and allow Israel to advance its agenda of seeking legitimacy in the region without respecting and recognising Arab and Muslim rights.
Hamas's move for dialogue with Fatah is interpreted as the result of pressure the group brought about by international sanctions and an Israeli blockade that have made life difficult in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, it is highly unlikely that Hamas would bend to pressure and make compromises on its positions, but it would definitely grab at any chance that would not require it to step back from its doctrines.
That is where the Abbas's statement that a Palestinian state should the West Bank and Gaza must cover the same amount of land as Israel seized in 1967 comes into play.
It would appear that Hamas, which insists on a Palestinian state in all of pre-1948 Palestine, has found a face-saving formula in Abbas's call and wants to work on it towards a compromise. Instead of rejecting the group's move, the other side should also move forward seeking common ground; that is the only realistic way for the peace process to move forward.