Israel Matzav

With all their faults, Hamas leaders have continued to honor a temporary cease-fire, or hudna, [A hudna means nothing - it can be stopped at any time. It just gives the terrorists time to regroup. And how much are they really honoring it if they are supporting terror attacks by what are ostensibly other groups. CiJ] during the past 18 months, and their spokesman told me that this "can be extended for two, 10 or even 50 years if the Israelis will reciprocate." Although Hamas leaders have refused to recognize the state of Israel while their territory is being occupied [Who says it's occupied, and when has Hamas ever said they will recognize the state of Israel under any circumstances? CiJ], Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has expressed approval for peace talks between Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel [Before or after he tried to have Abbas killed? And when did he ever express that approval? CiJ]. He added that if these negotiations result in an agreement that can be accepted by Palestinians, then the Hamas position regarding Israel would be changed [What agreement would be 'acceptable to the 'Palestinians''? One in which all the Jews would learn how to swim? CiJ].

Regardless of these intricate and long-term political interrelationships, it is unconscionable for Israel, the United States and others under their influence to continue punishing the innocent and already persecuted people of Palestine [Hey Dhimmi - 'innocent and already persecuted? Tell that to Daniel Wultz! CiJ]. The Israelis are withholding approximately $55 million a month in taxes and customs duties that, without dispute, belong to the Palestinians [except for all of the 'Palestinians' unpaid bills to the Israelis. CiJ]. Although some Arab nations have allocated funds for humanitarian purposes to alleviate human suffering, the U.S. government is threatening the financial existence of any Jordanian or other bank that dares to transfer this assistance into Palestine.

There is no way to predict what will happen in Palestine, but it would be a tragedy for the international community to abandon the hope that a peaceful coexistence of two states in the Holy Land is possible. Like Egypt and all other Arab nations before the Camp David Accords of 1978, and the Palestine Liberation Organization before the Oslo peace agreement of 1993, Hamas has so far refused to recognize the sovereign state of Israel as legitimate, with a right to live in peace. [Yes, but Hamas supposedly is the governing authority in 'Palestine' so to say that 'Palestine' does not recognize Israel - which recognition was a condition to the US talking to Arafat in 1988 and which recognition was embodied in the Oslo sham in 1993 - is a step backwards, at least in theory. CiJ] This is a matter of great concern to all of us, and the international community needs to probe for an acceptable way out of this quagmire. There is no doubt that Israelis and Palestinians both want a durable two-state solution, but depriving the people of Palestine of their basic human rights just to punish their elected leaders is not a path to peace. [In other words, Dhimmi doesn't think that the 'Palestinians' have to live with the consequences of their actions. CiJ]