Hamas Terrorists Are Missing Ingredient To Real Peace!

Excerpt from an email from DG:

In reaction to last week's reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas pro-Israel, pro-peace, J-Street blogged:

Some are spinning Fatah's actions fast and furious in an effort to save the newly reconfigured Palestinian leadership from quickly placing itself beyond the outer reaches of policy and political respectability for the international community.

Whoops, that isn't what they wrote last. That's what they wrote about Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman:

Yet, some are spinning Mr. Lieberman’s views fast and furious in an effort to save the new Foreign Minister from quickly placing himself beyond the outer reaches of policy and political respectability for the international community.

Here's J-Street on Palestinian recognition:

Overcoming the split between Fatah and Hamas, and between the West Bank and Gaza, has always been a precondition for final resolution of the conflict. In fact, many who oppose a two-state deal have, in recent years, done so by arguing that divisions among the Palestinians make peace impossible. Obviously, reconciliation reduces that obstacle – but now skeptics of a two-state agreement have immediately stepped forward to say that a deal is impossible with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas.

And here's American's for Peace Now with its statement about Fatah-Hamas reconciliation:

"... this action is an outrage, not only because of the extremist views that it reflects - we are by now used to Fatah's offensive incitement against Israel - but because it is perceived as reflecting Fatah's official policy."

Whoops. Wrong again. That was an APN statement about Israeli FM, Avigdor Lieberman.

"... this speech is an outrage, not only because of the extremist views that it reflects - we are by now used to Lieberman's offensive policy positions - but because it is perceived as reflecting Israel's official policy."

Here's the APN statement about Palestinian reconciliation (h/t Daled Amos)

"Today's announcement of a Fatah-Hamas deal to jointly form a government and to hold new elections is good news, and we hope that the agreement is implemented.  While we still don't know all the details of the agreement, we know that a Palestinian government representing all Palestinians, with security and governance capacity in both the West Bank and Gaza, is vital to the achievement of a peace agreement."

A few observations are in order:

1. Both J-Street and APN display a nuanced approach to the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and undisguised hostility towards Avigdor Lieberman.
2. This is despite the fact that the Fatah embraced an organization which makes no secret of its opposition to peace with Israel - an action that defies the peace process both organization claim to hold dear and that in both cases they were objecting to speeches, not actions made by Lieberman.
3. Both organizations claim that Fatah-Hamas reconciliation is essential to peace; that might be. But that would require Hamas to accept a two state solution and reject terrorism - ideas that Fatah at least pays lip service to - not Fatah accepting Hamas unconditionally.
4. Both statements honor Fatah and Hamas, both of whose ruling mandates have expired; but show contempt for Israel's duly elected foreign minister.

Instapundit used to have a great observation of many of the extreme critics of President Bush:
THEY'RE NOT ANTIWAR -- THEY'RE JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE.

(And I thank Glenn Reynolds for recalling the line for me.)

Let's adapt that line for J-Street and APN:
THEY'RE NOT PRO-PEACE -- THEY'RE JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE.

Technorati Tag: Middle East and Fatah and Hamas