Hamas officials signal willingness to negotiate long term “Hudna”-again!
Jerry Gordon comment
Talk of Hudna by Hamas in ruined Gaza is cheap while tossing rockets at Southern Israel and bombing and killing IDF soldiers during the current unilateral cease fire. Note the ’spin’ in this AP report about Pres. Obama’s Muslim outreach crystallized in his Al-Arabiya interview and other actions including sending Special Envoy George Mitchell to try and put “humpty dumpty” - a Palestinian Israel peace deal -together, again. We wait for the Israeli body polity to cast a decisive vote for a new center right governing coalition on Feb. 10th that would send a telling message to both the official taqiyyah from Hamas and the grovelling official dhimmitude in DC.
by Steve Gutkin, AP, Jan. 29, 2009
Hamas gunmen quells Gaza food riots
“We want to be part of the international community,” Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad told The Associated Press at the Gaza-Egypt border, where he was coordinating Arab aid shipments. “I think Hamas has no interest now to increase the number of crises in Gaza or to challenge the world.”
Hamas is trying hard to flex its muscles in the aftermath of Israel’s punishing onslaught in the Gaza Strip, doling out cash, vowing revenge and declaring victory over Zionist aggression. But AP interviews with Hamad and two other Hamas leaders in the war-ravaged territory they rule suggest some of that might be more bluster than reality — and the group may be ready for some serious deal making.
That raises the question of whether Hamas, which receives much of its funding and weapons from Tehran, can be coaxed out of Iran’s orbit. That question looks less preposterous than it did before President Barack Obama began extending olive branches to the Muslim world and Israel’s Gaza offensive reshuffled Mideast politics.
The militants appear to be in the throes of an internal power struggle between hard-liners and pragmatists. Which group comes out on top will likely depend on who is able to garner the most benefits in postwar Gaza.
With hawks urging more violence, the window of opportunity to boost the voices of relative moderation is likely to be short.
“We won this war,” said Hamas politician Mushir Al-Masri. “Why should we give in to pressure from anyone?”
Al-Masri spoke to the AP while standing next to a chair that used to serve as his seat in the Palestinian parliament, now reduced to rubble by Israeli bombing. Surrounding him were cracked cement, broken bricks, shattered glass and microphones covered in ash. (Continue Reading this article)
Hamas is really delusional. They won’t recognize Israel, they won’t forswear jihad and they won’t make peace but they still expect the West to give them everything on a silver platter!
Unreal.
Comment by NormanF — January 29, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
Actually I don’t see hamas as being delusional in having those expectations. Considering the west’s appeasement policies and tolerance of palestinian terrorism for decades, what would give hamas the idea that they need to change their behavior in order to receive handouts?
Comment by Laura — January 29, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
We look at things rationally in the West. But you’re right, Hamas has no incentive to alter its behavior. They figure in the end they will get what they want. Why should they change when no one makes a demand upon them to do so? And its not coming from Israel and the West and the way things work in the Middle Eastern shouks, Hamas can just sit tight and wait for a better offer, if the initial one is not good enough for them.
Comment by NormanF — January 29, 2009 @ 5:02 pm