Israel Matzav

'Messiah's times': Hamas and Fatah to kiss and make up

Arutz Sheva is reporting that the 'bad terrorists' from Hamas and the 'good terrorists' from Fatah are on the verge of kissing and making up.

According to sources for both factions, the plan presented by Egyptian officials that would create a Fatah-Hamas PA government included several steps:
1. hold legislative and "presidential" elections
2. free all "political" detainees held by each side
3. reform the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is the umbrella group under which Fatah and other factions operate, and from which the PA government was created, and
4. restructure the PA security force.

The unity government that would thus be formed would serve for two years, according to the agreement under consideration, headed by current PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. It would include Hamas as well as Fatah ministers and would be tasked with preparing for new elections, as well as resolving all outstanding issues between the two factions prior to the vote.

A 'conference' is planned for February 22 in Cairo, and while scenes like the one above from two years ago in Mecca may not happen, maybe they can do something similar at Al-Azhar University, the premier 'university' for Islamic 'scholarship.'

But the key here is how the West, which has provided billions of dollars in aid to the the Palestinian Authority 'good terrorists' from Fatah on condition that they stay away from Hamas until Hamas meets the quartet's three conditions (recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and recognizing previous agreements), will react. I would bet that most of that aid will not be pulled. The Europeans have certainly decided that isolating Hamas is the 'wrong' strategy, and it is possible that the Hopenchange administration in Washington will reach the same conclusion. Given that Hussein has already waived sanctions against Syria and Iran, why should Hamas be any different from the terror states?

UPDATE 8:34 PM

Hamas has apparently gotten with the program in Washington. You know, the program that says it's all Bush's fault.

The two parties' representatives announced that they would continue to hold "reconciliation" talks in the future both inside the Palestinian territories and abroad.

"The departure of the Bush administration has paved the way for Palestinian national reconciliation," the PA official said. "In the past, Bush and [former US Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice were totally opposed to talks between Fatah and Hamas."

Like Bush and Condi told them to throw each other off the roofs of buildings. Right....

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:45 PM