Quote:
Originally Posted by astralis
JAD,
i think it works both ways, to be sure. as ariel sharon duly noted, the demographics work against israel- and for a populace that shows an amazing tolerance of doing stupid, suicidal things just to get at the israelis. golda meir and abba eban knew this very well.
the israelis need to talk before the last shreds of rationality disappear. if hamas or the palestinians as a whole were to turn towards al-qaeda style nihilism...  |
Ok, you talk to Hamas and to the PLO and what do you come out with in the best of all possible worlds? A three-state solution? A united Palestine ruled jointly by Hamas and Fatah? Either eventuality adds a layer of negotiations to already interminable negotiations.
I disagree with you for one reason: Hamas is and forever will be scheming to do Israel in. That is their raison d'etre. If this were not so, they would have joined with Fatah already and started hammering out a 2-state solution with Israel to give Palestinians a better life.
Hamas may talk and gain a few crumbs and then the whole cycle of violence will start again until the next talks and so on. This is what Hamas wants and it is what Israel cannot afford to do. It's a policy of slow erosion for Israel. There is no alternative to a comprehensive agreement. To accomplish this there has to one Palestinian voice, not two. As soon as Israel has serious talks with Hamas (beyond low-level technical matters of aid pipeline and truces) Hamas and Fatah become competitors.
Also, I don't think Israel will lose all rationality. You're positing that they are and then basing your argument for action based on that. What if you are wrong? Would you then feel the same urgency?
