Last October, I wrote an article describing a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as a farce, with Hamas stalling any real peace prospects from developing. Sadly, six months later, that same Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority has done nothing more than erode its own political capital and the patience of the Israeli government with petty posturing, terrorism and in-fighting with its rival party of relative moderates, Fatah. After months of internal conflict between the two parties left scores of Palestinians dead, a unity government was finally formed; yet this new Palestinian government will do nothing to expedite the peace process, and we should invest no optimism in it.
Hamas, with more than a year as the dominant faction in the Palestinian government, has unequivocally lost any legitimacy it might have had as a governing party in the peace process. Once the unity government was formed, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya immediately proclaimed the Palestinians' "right to resistance," according to the BBC. I'm sure it is this "right to resistance" that emboldens Hamas operatives to shoot unarmed Israeli civilians, as one did this past Monday, with the terrorist group immediately claiming responsibility. It should trouble us all that Hamas still has not accepted the basic principles of peace: accepting Israel's right to exist, honoring past treaties and renouncing violence. Do we really expect some fundamental change in their leaders' ideologies at this point? I'm not holding my breath.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is correct in rejecting the Palestinian unity government this week, recognizing that his neighbors are not ready for genuine peace talks. While the unity government is astute to appoint independents to the important finance and foreign minister jobs, the Palestinian government has not changed its most troubling ideology of undermining Israel's right to exist. According to the Jerusalem Post, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his own concern for the agreement, calling it "disappointing" and emphasizing that "it is important that parties concerned should respect the right to exist, particularly Israel's, and engage in dialogue without resorting to violence."
The United States has had a tepid response, and while the administration has not changed its policy of refusing to negotiate with Hamas, it has opened the door to negotiating with more moderate members of the unity government. This accommodation and appeasement must be rejected. We should not legitimize any dimension of this government through talks while the terrorist elements within it simultaneously build bunkers and gather weaponry in Gaza for future "resistance" against Israel. Each minister of a unity government represents the government as a whole, so we must hold accountable all "moderate" ministers for the rhetoric of Prime Minister Haniya. When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travels to the region tomorrow — including a stop in Israel — she must utilize her influence and voice in the region to denounce the Hamas-led government for what it is: a terrorist organization masquerading as a fair political representative of its people.
It is becoming increasingly clear that peace will never be achieved while the Hamas ideologues are in power. Thus, we are left with two options: Isolate and politically neutralize the extremists by continuing to cut off aid and refusing to negotiate with any members of the government or, alternatively, kowtow to a group that murders civilians and advocates indefinite war against a sovereign state until its extermination. It is clear which path America must take, and it will require serious foreign policy balls. If we bow to European na?
