I guess it's the latter bit of information that has Daniel Pipes pessimistic.

But don't worry. Jackson Diehl tells us:

Most intriguing of all has been the shift by Islamic movements during 2005 from terrorism to democratic participation. Despite some lapses, both Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah have mostly refrained from violence this year while focusing on elections. While neither has disarmed, both are under pressure from public opinion in their own countries to do so. Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which swore off violence decades ago, has embraced the agenda of parliamentary democracy and free press put forward by the secular opposition coalition that appeared in Cairo this year. The most commonly cited obstacle to Arab democratization -- Islamic fundamentalism -- looks far less formidable than it did a year ago.

So this must be a good sign: Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are now working together. Meryl Yourish doesn't think so:

They’re just another political group. Bringing them into the process will get them to lay down their arms and stop murdering Jews. Just wait.

As for me, I’m going to continue to call them murderers who will never make peace with Israel.

Technorati Tags: Israel, hamas.

Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.