Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Talks Going Well

Oh joy.
Ya Libnan is reporting that Hamas, Fatah agreed to continue discussions:

Fatah Secretary in Lebanon Fathi Abu al-Ardat told NBN television on Monday that the Fatah representative in Damascus Azzam al-Ahmad said that most issues have been agreed on with Hamas.


Leaders of the two rival Palestinian movements, Fatah and Hamas, held reconciliation talks on Friday and said they wanted the discussions to continue.

Abu al-Ardat also said that another meeting will be held at the end of October.

Hamas Representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan told NBN television on Monday that the results of the meeting should not be exaggerated, adding that Fatah and Hamas agreed on some issues.

Peace talks
In a related development Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Monday urged Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to immediately boycott Washington-sponsored truce talks.

“To negotiate without a position of strength is absurd,” Meshaal stressed and added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not bring peace in the region.

Apparently, the idea of two sides negotiating on a level playing field is a concept foreign to Meshaal. That being the case--just what does Meshaal hold over Abbas?

Abbas cannot agree to talks with Netanyahu while refusing to negotiate a reconciliation with Hamas. So, the more convincingly Hamas can make it appear that a reunification of Fatah and Hamas is in the works, the more unappetizing the prospect of a second Palestinian state becomes. The longer Hamas can stretch this out and the more convincing they can make it, the better.

Of course, the fact that Abbas is negotiating with the terrorist group that goes around shooting Israelis on the highway or fires rockets at civilian targets is being ignored.

So too being ignored is the fact that both sides have overextended their stay in office. Abbas's term ended almost 2 years ago. Hamas's term in parliament has ended as well.

Technorati Tag: Fatah and Abbas and Hamas.