To Whom Will The Fighters
Be Loyal?
Last week, Egypt invited Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others - a total of 12 groups - to Cairo with the intention of forging Palestinian "unity," something never previously achieved. Israel, the United States and the other members of the Quartet were supportive of the Egyptian effort in advance of the donors' conference this week.
Secretary of State Clinton in Jerusalem said "During the conference, I emphasized President Obama's and my commitment to working to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and our support for the Palestinian Authority." In Ramallah today she announced support for Fatah as the only legitimate government of the Palestinian people.
That may come as news to those Palestinian people who voted for Hamas in an election considered "fair and democratic" by the United States government, and who didn't appear to be in rebellion during the Gaza war - or after it.
The Secretary is standing on an impasse. The donors want a single channel to funnel money to Gaza and thus need the fiction of a Palestinian government headed by Abu Mazen's Palestinian Authority. But Hamas does not agree - and why should it? Hamas, with its pet poodle UNRWA, remains in physical control of Gaza. Worse, the donors, plus Egypt, Fatah and Israel have ensured that Hamas remains the center of political attention by dangling aid and begging. Why should Hamas concede its deeply held belief in violent Islamic radicalism, the destruction of Israel and the victimization of the Hamas bunny to get in bed with Fatah - which it considers a traitor and whose supporters it has been busy arresting and executing? (Hamas added the dead Fatah members to the "civilian" list of casualties they claim Israel killed in Gaza.)
So, although the Palestinian people rejected Fatah at the ballot box, Secretary of State Clinton rejects Hamas as a political partner and demands that it surrender to Fatah. In its determination to see Fatah rule, the United States has been training Palestinian "security forces" so they can fight Hamas. Yes, that's what the American government says. But what happens if Secretary Clinton gets her way, Hamas joins a "unity government" and demands a say in the management of those troops? What if "unity" is temporary and Hamas takes over the government - making it much more unified - and assumes control of the security forces? To whom would the troops be loyal? A deposed Abu Mazen who was using them to fight their Hamas cousins who are now in control? To Hamas? What would Hamas want with American-trained security forces?
Oh.
Hamas and Fatah have unity on one issue - the belief that Israel is a mistake created by the international community that needs to be reversed. Their difference on this point is tactical: Fatah is willing to take negotiated stages; Hamas - and the other 10 parties in Cairo - believe only in violence.
The donors, Fatah and Israel should stop demanding a unity government, announce that Hamas is organization non-grata and accept that Israel will control the border with Gaza. No one will starve - no one ever has because Israel won't permit it (yes, we are repeating ourselves, but it's worth it) and Israel is entitled to ensure its security from enemies who remain openly sworn to its destruction and pursue the death of Israeli civilians every day from behind their own people.
No one should want unity with that.
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