Featured this weekBar-Ilan University Ben-Gurion University Brandeis University Cornell University Dartmouth Dean College Georgetown University Indiana Ithaca Loyola-Chicago Marquette University Oregon Pennsylvania Toronto Washington U., St. Louis Wisconsin York University | Islamic Bombers Triumph at Ballot
by Stephen Farrell and Ian MacKinnon  Militant Islam scored one of its biggest victories when election results showed that Hamas had crushed the Fatah party that had ruled Palestinian politics for 40 years. The victory of a group dedicated to Israel's destruction shocked Western leaders and put paid to any hopes of swiftly reviving the Middle East peace process. President Bush, Tony Blair, and other world leaders united in demanding that Hamas, responsible for more than 50 suicide bombings and 430 Israeli deaths in recent years, renounce violence and recognize Israel or face isolation. (Times-UK)
Additional Headlines Olmert: Hamas Is No Partner Who's Who in Hamas? Israelis Aid Kenya Building Collapse Rescue | | President Bush on the Hamas Victory  "[Hamas has] got to get rid of that arm of their party which is armed and violent, and secondly, they have got to get rid of that part of their platform that says they want to destroy Israel. And if they don't, we won't deal with them. Aid packages won't go forward....We won't be providing help to a government that wants to destroy our ally and friend. I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you don't renounce violent aims." (CBS News)
Hamas's Choice - Editorial Western governments should stick to the principle already articulated by the Bush administration: that "a future Palestinian Authority cabinet should include no member who has not committed to the principles of Israel's right to exist in peace and security and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism." If Hamas will not meet that condition, then it should be condemned to governing Gaza and the West Bank in diplomatic isolation, without European, U.S., or World Bank aid. (Washington Post) |
Bar-Ilan: Conference Delegates Say Divestiture Promotes Terror
by Talya Halkin  Vigilance is crucial to fighting academic boycotts against Israel; such was the message delivered Wednesday by the British Ambassador to Israel, Simon McDonald, at the opening of the Bar-Ilan University conference on academic freedom. Also, Harvard Law School Prof. Alan Dershowitz, who gave the keynote speech at the conference, argued against the rhetoric of last year's academic boycott attempt and other boycotts against Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Brandeis Stands Behind Scholar Accused of Ties to Terror
by Ron Kampeas  Khalil Shikaki, a Palestinian academic affiliated with Brandeis University, dismissed allegations that he's linked to Islamic Jihad, and says he's not worried about attempts to persuade Jewish groups to cut him off. Brandeis says it is standing by Shikaki, noting that U.S. law enforcement never pursued any action against him. (Jewish Exponent)
| | CFJS Sends Canadian Delegation to World Student Congress
by Robert Meth  The Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS) sent five delegates to the annual World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) congress, held recently in Zichron Yaakov, Israel. The students – Gary Diamond from the University of Western Ontario, Emily Sufrin from the University of British Columbia, Samuel Zeev Konig from McGill University, Hagai Kuperman from the University of Toronto and myself, from Ryerson University – spent five days networking, learning and socializing with other Jewish students from across the world. (Canadian Jewish News)
Dean College: Brava Comes Home
by Theresa Freeman   Joseph Brava, 19, traveled about 5,700 miles to Israel and felt like he had come home. Brava, a freshman studying psychology at Dean College in Franklin, took a 10-day trip through Israel with Taglit-birthright Israel. Brava said he would recommend the trip to anyone. He is planning to return to the country next summer.(Metrowest)
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Point-Counterpoint - Hamas Won - What Now?
Don't Deal with Terrorists
by Daniel Pipes - An increasing number of voices are calling for Hamas to be recognized, arguing that the imperatives of governance would tame it, ending its arch-murderous vocation (it has killed about 600 Israelis) and turning it into a responsible citizen.
The historical record, however, refutes this "pothole theory of democracy." Mussolini made the trains run, Hitler built autobahns, Stalin cleared the snow and Castro reduced infant mortality — without any of these totalitarians giving up their ideological zeal nor their grandiose ambitions. Hamas might have hired a spin doctor to improve its image in the West, but its leadership candidly maintains it has no intention of changing. It was a mistake to permit Hamas to compete in elections. Like al-Qaeda, Hamas should be destroyed, not legitimated, much less courted. (USA Today)
Hard Men to Deal With
by Ewen MacAskill - That it took part in this week's election represents a remarkable shift: a move towards politicisation of a hardline violent organisation. A Hamas-led administration could speed that process.
- At some point, the men of violence have to be brought into the political process, and this is what could happen with Hamas.
- The chances of real peace being reached are greater dealing directly with the men with the most guns and bombs, rather than doing a deal with Fatah alone, with Hamas left on the sidelines.
- Hamas will find it harder as part of the government. It will have to make decisions and compromises and many of these will be unpopular. (Guardian-UK)
The West and Hamas Must Talk to Each Other - Editorial - In practical terms there is much to be said for engaging with Hamas, in the hope of steering it towards the renunciation of violence.
- The movement has held to the ceasefire it agreed with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, last March.
- Since its victories in local elections in May and October, it has proved a competent municipal administrator, as it had previously of its extensive social welfare programes.
- Rejectionism, by contrast, spells economic wreckage, as the borders stay closed and foreign funding dries up.
- By its victory, Hamas has forfeited the freedom of opposition; as the governing power, it faces hard choices. (Telegraph-UK)
| | Hamas Won't Change its Stripes
by Barry Rubin - Every time Hamas stages a terrorist attack, calls Jews the offspring of pigs and monkeys, or demands Israel's extinction, these naive people, Lenin called them "useful idiots", will use this as proof that more must be done to persuade it to be moderate.
- Why should we believe that Hamas will do anything other than murdering thousands of people and installing a terrible dictatorship over Palestinians?
- Yet contrary to such expectations, rulers have used guns and ideology to keep their welcomes from wearing thin, as substitutes for high living standards and broad civil rights.
- Is it really so hard to understand that a group that calls for genocide against Jews, extols terrorism and demands a Taliban-style regime for Palestinians is not about to become moderate? Apparently it is. (Canada.com)
Hamas Will Probably Continue Observing the Calm
by Arnon Regular - Hamas is still committed officially to the truce (tahadiya), but in recent weeks Hamas leaders have made contradictory statements regarding the renewal of terror attacks and its armed struggle, and regarding recognizing Israel or negotiating with it.
The contradictory statements reflect Hamas' internal dispute on the issue, but it seems that due to its desire to cooperate with Fatah and reach agreements with the international community to secure continued aid, it is reasonable to assume that the calm would continue in the near future. One of the most important factors affecting events in the Palestinian Authority are the positions of the international community and the Arab states following the Hamas victory. The United States, for example, cannot have contacts with Hamas due to its laws which define Hamas as a terror group. The European Union will also have to find a formula under which it would be able to continue PA aid. (Ha'aretz) |
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